Myth: The Fullmetal Alchemist
by Galahad32687
Summary: After pulling an all-nighter, the Elric Brothers suddenly find themselves tranported to an mysterious, fantastic land engulfed by war. There, they find an alliance fighting for survival against a terrible evil known as the Fallen Lords.
1. Chapter 1

Edward Elric sat upon a pile of dusty books, nestled in a blanket. A large tome of highly advanced alchemical equations rested on his knees. He had been reading for awhile inside the deep, freezing cold confines of the National Library stacks. His focus finally began to fade under the weight of so much knowledge. His eyelids felt as heavy as the large encyclopedia at the base of his seat. Unable to think of anything but his want for a soft bed, he allowed himself to drift off.

The unexpected chime of the library clock, and the flop of his alchemy book onto the cobblestone floor, brought him back to his senses. He rubbed his face with his prosthetic hand. The coldness of the metal helped shock him back to alertness. He counted the chimes.

Two in the morning.

"Getting tired, brother?"

Ed looked up at his little brother. Alphonse Elric, once a human boy but now just a soul tied by alchemy to a giant suit of armor, stood a short way up the aisle. He held in his steel hands another ancient tome of alchemy.

"Just a little bit. Nothing a hot drink won't solve." Ed responded.

He reached for mug of hot cocoa, which sat on top of a precarious stack of scientific periodicals. Every once and awhile, he kept the drink warm by instructing the slowing molecules of the liquid to speed up again. It was an easy procedure, one of the first learned by every student of alchemy. It was not so easy for Ed's weary left hand to pick up the drink.

"Whoops!"

The mug fell to the ground and shattered into piece. Al rushed forward.

"Brother! Your cocoa!"

Al clapped his metal gauntlets together, and then stooped to touch the pieces of the mug. This surprised Ed for a moment, until he remembered that Al could perform alchemy without a transmutation circle too. Al, just as his brother before him, had seen the Gate of Truth. The sight of the Gate granted wisdom, but it came at a tremendous cost.

Years ago, when the brothers made a terrible decision and tried to resurrect their beloved mother, the Gate almost separated the boys forever. It took Alphonse's body and Edward's leg as a price for their sin. It cost Edward another limb, his right arm, just to get his brother's soul back.

The horrible pain brought on by the destruction of his body caused Alphonse to forget the sight of the Gate. But just weeks ago the blood of a dying chimera touched the sigil that bound Al's soul to the armor, which caused his memories of the Gate had returned to his mind. Soon after, he discovered he possessed many of the same abilities wielded by his brother.

Al could not deny that alchemy performed with but a clap felt much easier than drawing out all the necessary symbols, although he did continue to pride himself on his skill with chalk. Either way, a broken mug was an easy fix.

"Here you go, brother" Al presented his brother with the remade vessel, which still contained a piping hot drink, "Better drink it now; I heated it up for you."

"Thanks, Al" Ed smiled as he sipped the warm, frothy liquid.

Ed let the blanket slip off his shoulders as he stood to stretch his legs. Even with his brother kneeling, Ed could only see the top of Al's helm while standing on top of a sizeable almanac.

"You know, I like it this way. You ought to shuffle around on your knees more Al."

"And let you gloat about being the tall brother? I think not Ed. You wouldn't shut up about it, after all these years." Al rose to his metal feet. His helmet stood at eye level with the top shelf of books.

"Oh yeah!?" Ed set down his cocoa and proceeded to scale the bookshelf behind him like a ladder. He scrambled up seven levels as quick as a monkey, so he could face his brother without having to crane his neck. He smirked confidently.

"See how determined I am? I'll catch up with you someday!"

Ed's smirk quickly faded to an expression of concern as he felt the bookshelf shift beneath him. Then he stifled a yelp as the whole shelf plunged backward into the next aisle.

Ed rolled free from the shelf, but the damage was done. His shelf slammed into the next one, which toppled into the next after that. The shelves went on falling like dominos until the brothers could see the wall of the library, many yards away.

"Nice going Ed," Al sighed. Ed just stared, dumbfounded by the disaster.

"Hey, who goes there!" a far off voice shouted.

Ed cringed "Oh no, it's the night-watchman. I should have known all that would wake him."

"Brother, if he finds us, we'll lose our library clearance for sure. The whole place is closed and we're not even allowed to be in this area," Al whined.

"Ahh! Run for it!" Ed cried.

The two brothers sprinted through library. They could not go towards the front entrance, as the watchman's desk stood there, so they headed deeper into the building.

"How are we gonna get out?" Al squeaked over the clank of his armor.

"Gotta be back entrance. Emergency or something. C'mon!" Ed puffed.

"Whose in here!? Show yourself!" the watchman's voice sounded nearer. Every watchman knew their way through the library. The brothers also had the misfortune of being pursued by a particularly young and spry watchman. Their apprehension of getting caught began to rise to uncomfortable levels.

Several minutes of unbroken sprinting soon got the better of Ed and he needed to take a breather. He bent down, gasping for air.

"Do I need to carry you brother!? We're going to get caught if we don't hurry." Al glanced around worriedly, on the lookout for the beam of the watchman's flashlight.

Ed put out a hand to steady himself against the wall. Surprisingly, his hand touched a wooden door frame instead of stone. Ed looked up and sure enough saw a small wood door. A small sign on the door read in bold letter: CLOSED & FORBIDDEN.

His hand moved to the doorknob. To his surprise, once again, it was unlocked.

Ed opened the door. An unlit candle lay on a small table within. Beyond that, he could make out a spiral staircase leading down into the darkness.

"Al, this way." Ed moved through the entrance, but his brother saw the sign on the door

"Ed, are you crazy? We'll get in even more trouble if we go in there," Al quibbled.

"Hey, I can hear you! No use hiding from me!" the watchman was definitely near now.

Ed gave his brother a quizzical look and said "Does it really matter at this point?"

Without further hesitation, Al ducked through the door and shut it. He heard the watchman come pounding up by the door. He could see the flashlight through the cracks.

"Lost 'em," the watchman grumbled to himself, unaware that his quarry was hiding close by, "They were in the special clearance section. Better call for backup."

The light and the footsteps went away, but the boys knew they were not safe.

"Why do you always go and get us into trouble like this, brother? It makes being related to you difficult." Al complained, half-jokingly.

"I'm supposed to get you into trouble, brother. Otherwise you'd never have any fun."

Ed clapped and proceeded to light the candle. His superior in the military, Colonel Mustang, specialized in fire alchemy. Very popular amongst the rank and file, Mustang earned the nickname of Flame Alchemist. Ed respected the man just barely, for merit of his rank if nothing else. Ed thought the Colonel insufferably arrogant and demanding. He invested plenty of time in trying to learn the secrets behind Mustang's abilities. Someday, Ed hoped to show up his superior publicly.

The two brothers descended the narrow stair in the hopes of finding their way out of the library. The cramped space could hardly contain Al's massive bulk, so he needed to walk sideways or risk getting stuck.

Just when they thought the stair would never end, the brothers emerged into an open space. The air felt damp and heavy. Al broke the silence.

"I don't think I know how many meters underground we are, Ed. What do you think this place could be?"

"Not sure," Ed responded. He held the candle up, shedding as much light as possible. About three meters up he discerned a great dome ceiling crafted entirely from solid stone.

"Incredible construction," Ed muttered to himself, "We've got to be deep underground and yet the roof doesn't show a sign of wear. That stone must be thick."

"Brother, look, more light!" Al clapped and put his hands out towards something next to the staircase. Immediately, a large candelabrum flamed to life. It had been sitting in a small nook in the wall.

"Great. So what's in here?" Ed asked as the brothers looked about.

The room was round, the wall lined with bookshelves. In the center of the room there stood a large table and a few chairs.

"Hmmm, so this is another branch of the stacks. But what's up with it being hidden and closed off, not to mention forbidden?"

The brothers moved to the nearest bookshelf. Al held up his light for a better view.

"That's weird. Most of the books here have rotted away. They're nothing but dust and cobwebs."

Ed pulled one of the few remaining volume off the shelf. It was a sorry excuse for a book, as the writing within looked completed faded and illegible. He replaced the first book and started to pick up another one, but it disintegrated at the touch of his hand.

"Clearly, this place is very old. Why has no one been down here to even take care of this area?" Al asked in a concerned tone, pitying the neglected books.

Ed wasted no more time with the descript contents of the shelves and moved towards the table at the center of the room. He found another candelabrum there, lighting it with his one candle. Then he noticed some other things on the table.

"Hey, Al! Come look at this."

Al crossed the room and peered over his brother's shoulder. On the table, the candelabrum held down the corner of a very ancient looking map. And just to the side of the map, Al saw an immense tome. The front cover of the book was almost as broad as his brother's shoulders, though Al kept that statement to himself. Ed's small stature meant that plenty of things outsized him, though books did not normally come so close.

Ed looked over the map first. It displayed only part of a large continent. The land seemed to continue into the east, off the right side of the map. He could see no name for the land on the map, but many of the features within it possessed names. At the center of the map stood a great mountain range, extending from the north to the south shores of the land. He read the name aloud.

"Cloudspine."

Much of the land to the east of the mountains was bare and uninhabited, including a desert area named the Barrier. The west of the mountains looked more promising, featuring several settlements and a handful of cities along rivers or near the coast of the western ocean. Ed saw this area too held a name; the Province.

"I don't recognize any of these places, brother," Al had been reading the map too, "And what's with this city. I think its pronounced Muirthemne. Why build a city in the middle of a desert?"

Al pointed at the place on the map. Ed saw the place. It was almost in the middle of the Barrier.

"An oasis maybe. Or perhaps that area wasn't always a desert." Ed shrugged.

He moved down the table towards the great tome. Al leaned over the map some more, reading the names of cities.

"Tandem, Madrigal, Tyr, Covenant, and Scales. Oh, and then there are these places far to the east of the Barrier; Myrgard and Stonehiem. But those are up in another group of mountains. Cities in mountains, hmmm. Brother, what is this land? There's no where in the world like this at all, so it can't be something that the ancients drew."

Ed, meanwhile, looked at the cover of the closed tome. An incomprehensible symbol made up of long, thin strokes marked its surface. He needed both his hands to lift the large volume. While not heavy, the book carried weight. He realized that the book had been sitting atop some notes. While these papers looked almost as decayed as the rest of the room's contents, he could make out words at the top of the first page: The Total Codex.

Puzzled by the strange name, Ed put the book back down on the table. He opened the Codex, intending to skim the first few pages and get a grasp of its contents.

But suddenly the Codex began glowing with a bright white light. Ed backed away from the table in shock. Al looked up from the map. If a suit of armor could look astonished, Al certainly looked so.

"What the—"

The brothers began to hear a ringing noise. It grew louder quite quickly, and before either boy could do anything the noise overpowered their senses. Ed collapsed to the ground, trying to block out the noise with his hands. Al sank to knee and leaned against the table, barely able to support himself.

"Edward!!" the younger brother screamed out in fright.

"Alphonse!!" the elder screamed back, equally terrified.

They could hardly hear each other over the noise, as the white light of the Codex blotted out everything.

00000000000

Grass. The first thing Ed felt as he came out of his stupor. Nice, soft, yet firm grass. This was the kind of grass one could find at the highpoint of summer. But Ed knew that it was winter in Central. Not to mention he recalled being indoors before fainting.

Slowly, Ed opened his eyes and confirmed that he no longer was indoors. He saw the grass beneath him. He turned over onto his back and found treetops above. Through the leaves shone moonlight. A warm breeze caressed his face.

"What the hell is happening?" He could not help but say it.

He looked around and found himself in a forest glade. To his joy, he discovered Al sitting against a tree nearby. He went over to his brother and tapped him.

"Al. Hey Al. Wake up. We're alright."

Al stirred and shook himself, noisily. He looked up at Ed.

"Brother!" he exclaimed happily.

Then Al noticed where they were.

"Umm, brother, why are we outside?"

"Oh, uhhh," Ed rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I don't know, ummm, I guess I opened that book, and somehow we're here?"

Al punched Ed squarely in the chest, sending the boy flying through the air for a good distance.

"Dammit brother! Why is it always something that you do that gets us into these messes?" Al shot up to his feet, shaking his armored fists in frustration, "Why don't you listen to me before you do something stupid!? Like opening some weird book in a creepy part of the library that has been forgotten by everyone except the people dumb enough to blunder into it, like you!"

Ed struggled to his feet, clutching his sore chest. He did not resent his brother for hitting him. He knew Al only used a bit of his strength in the blow. And Al had a right to feel frustrated at Ed. He had almost gotten them both caught by the watchman, and then he went and opened the Codex. Then again, he never suspected that the Codex would transport them somewhere far and away.

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Ed grumbled, "Why didn't you tell me this would happen?"

"I didn't know," Al fired back, "But if you hadn't just opened that book without saying anything, maybe I could have told you to stop. I thought I'd had enough of your impulsivity for one night, but this is just ridiculous. You need to work on thinking things through, brother."

Ed hung his head and smiled sheepishly. His brother knew him so well, especially his flaws. If Al did not scold him, no one would.

"I guess curiosity got me once again. You done ranting, Al?"

"Just about I guess," Al crossed his arms, "I hope you're proud of yourself. Now we're lost and we might never see any of our friends again. What will happen to Winry once she realizes that we're missing? And now my kitties…"

Al trailed off for a moment, lost in thought.

"My kitties! My kitties, oh no!" Al put his hands on his helmet in worry, "Who is gonna feed my poor kitties?"

"They aren't your kitties!" growled Ed, flabbergasted by his brother's histrionics, "They're strays that follow you around because they know you're a big softie who'll feed them whenever they like. They'll all be obese by the time you're done! Except they'll move onto mooching from someone else unless we start trying to get our bearings!"

Al stood stock still for a minute. If his brother still had eyes, Ed guessed he would be blinking at that moment.

"Ok, we've both been thoroughly frustrated with each other long enough," Al spoke in a calm voice as he lowered his arms to his sides, "Let's find our way out of here and get home."

The brothers set off through the woods and continued walking for a long time. They felt sure several hours must have past when they finally found a clear break in the trees.

"At last," they both exclaimed and rushed forward.

They quickly hushed themselves once they could see out into the open territory. They could see a small river, about a hundred yards away. On the near side of the river, just before a bridge, they could see a large group of people moving about.

The group moved with a coordination and efficiency that suggested military. They kept to an orderly column on the road, with scouts moving out in the lead. Amongst the crowd, the brothers could discern a couple very short forms amongst mostly tall ones. This perplexed the boys, since it seemed odd for a group of soldiers to keep children amongst their number.

The soldiers moved down the dirt road leading away from the river, past the Elric brothers. The group made no effort to disguise their presence, as the brothers could hear the thump of their step and the clink of their chain mail. They could even hear an officer barking orders in a human sounding voice.

"Alright, keep up the pace. We need to hit the village Comfort quickly and then move onto the enemy encampment. C'mon lads."

This lack of discretion perplexed the brothers even further. Surely a force moving close to an enemy stronghold would want to move as cautiously and as silently as possible, yet these soldiers did not seem to care if they alerted the enemy of their presence.

"What a bunch of fools," Ed remarked "They're going to get themselves killed with that racket."

Al shook his arm "Brother, look at the river."

Ed turned back towards the water. The brothers watched as several shapes began to emerge from the depths the water. These new figures did not seem human. They moved at a shambling gait, and the bright moonlight clearly showed their grotesquely bloated forms. The creatures began to slowly but quietly follow the marching band of troops.

"Damn, that's it," Ed let his fist hit the ground at the realization, "Those idiots have walked right into an ambush."

He checked the progress of the moving troops. They were still on the road, which wound through the plain towards a small hamlet off in the distance. Ed noticed that the woods also extended to the border of the village.

"C'mon, Al. Let's get going then," Ed rose to his feet and started running.

"Have you thought about how we're gonna explain ourselves to those soldiers," Al caught up with him, "It is the right thing for us to do, warning them. But how do we keep them from chopping us up? They might think we're enemies too."

"Cause we're not just going to warn them, Al. We're going to rescue them."

"Funny, brother. How do you plan on fighting enemies we don't know anything about?"

"We don't need to analyze them right away Al. I'm perfectly confident that our superior hand to hand fighting skills will do the trick, at least for awhile."

"At least you've remembered to run your crazy scheme by me this time, Ed. And though there's no denying that its crazy, if it will save some people, then I'm for it."

The boys continued to run in silence, keeping to the trees as they made their way towards the village.

00000000000

Captain Bernard kept his men tight and alert as he ushered them on to Comfort. Before taking his force out on the mission almost an hour ago, the legion commander had instructed him on the importance of making his checkpoints on time. Bernard's force had been tasked with staging a diversion, and a delay of even a few minutes could render the whole operation useless. Moving in with stealth served no purpose to their mission, so he did not mind that the hurried movement of his warriors in full armor made so much noise. At Bernard's estimation, they would reach Comfort a little early, which would give them time to mop up any of the enemy's remaining pickets before moving on to feign a strike at the enemy camp.

Bernard felt a new presence at his side and turned to find the leader of his archers. The old fir'Bolg, used to stalking game through the Ermine, moved so quietly that it almost took Bernard by surprise.

"What is it ii'Shuul?" asked Bernard, knowing that the archer tended to approach him only when necessary.

The fir'Bolg lifted his head a bit, sensing his surroundings, before responding.

"We're being followed," ii'Shuul spoke in the silky smooth accent native to deepest part of the Ermine. His voice betrayed no fear either. A hunter would had also been hunted, only to eventually outwit his predator, ii'Shuul knew to keep a cool head while enduring pursuit.

"Oh, the wights? Thanks, but I already know. I suspected the enemy would leave some in the river to follow us after we crossed," Bernard responded with careful politeness. Although he respected ii'Shuul's vigilance, for once Bernard privately congratulated himself for topping the fir'Bolg at his own game. At least, so the captain thought.

"Your foresight with regards to the wights is admirable," ii'Shuul approved, and Bernard could not believe his good fortune. Praised publicly by a fir'Bolg elder; Bernard smiled at the realization.

"But I wasn't talking about them," ii'Shuul continued, and Bernard's smile faded faster than a cowardly ghol, "There's something else out there, in the trees."

"I've been smelling it too," one of the nearby dwarven grenadiers piped up, "Smells like a human. And yet not quite human."

"There's more than one out there, Jar," ii'Shuul responded, "Definitely two. One is human, but his feet make a highly distinct noise. The other sounds…strange."

The last statement impressed Bernard. Fir'Bolg usually could describe anything, and rarely did anything ever take them by surprise. Although this did not please Bernard as much as the thought of ii'Shuul's praise, at least he could tell his companions something new over the next campfire.

"What do you mean strange?" Bernard inquired.

"Armor to be sure, yet without a man inside. Hollow. It sounds hollow."

Now Bernard felt confused. Armor without someone to wear it could not move, unless someone used magic.

"Seems like there's some new sorcery a foot here," Bernard declared, "Keep your ears on it, ii'Shuul. Let me know when it, and its distinct-footed accomplice, get close."

The archer nodded, and then moved back to his place in the column. Bernard noticed that the pace had slackened a bit during his conversation. The men felt nervous about getting so close to the enemy in the middle of the night, especially since darkness made no difference to the undead. Bernard understood, but he could not tolerate delays. The fate of an entire army, perhaps the whole city of Madrigal, rested on his and his troops' shoulders. Not about to fail in such a critical responsibility, Bernard raised his sword and waved it to signal double-time. Getting some more distance from the wights would help the men feel more comfortable anyway.

00000000000

Comfort was not impressive, really just a collection of shabby farmers' hovels. A small, unadorned shrine stood just off the village square. Comfort's only noteworthy feature was the stone that paved its square, made from the remnants of a great road that once ran through the area. The mayor once loved that town square, as it reminded him of Madrigal's fair streets, which he often visited to represent the community on market day. But now he lay dead, along with all his neighbors, murdered by horrors that the brothers Elric could only begin to imagine. Soon the boys would come face to face with those horrors.

The brothers darted out of the woods next to the village. Had the villagers still lived, and been awake at the late hour, they might have seen two dark shadows flitting between the hay stacks in the pastures. Luckily for the Elrics, the new occupants of the village directed their attention on the troops making their way up the road.

The boys crouched in the shadow of an abandoned wagon, just before the first set of houses. Ed peeked through the wooden wheel spokes, watching as the troops came around the final bend in the road before the village.

"Hey, brother," Al whispered, "I know this isn't the best time, but I've been thinking…"

"Yeah?" Ed continued looking out towards the road.

"Well, we're clearly in another world of some sorts. That means all the rules are different."

"Meaning?"

"Well, our alchemy might not work here."

Ed turned to his brother, a mortified look upon his face.

"I hadn't thought of that. You…you could of died!"

Al realized his brother might go on punishing himself for his error unless he gave some reassurance.

"Well, like you said before, you had no way of knowing. And besides, I'm still here, right? So forget about it, I forgive you."

Ed hung his head, glad to have his brother's support though feeling a bit undeserving.

"Ok, go on."

"Well, my point is," Al continued, knowing Ed would feel better, "that obviously some of our alchemy must still work. And of course your automail still functions great. But that doesn't mean everything is the same. It's a whole new world, so we might be at a disadvantage. I'm only saying this to keep us from relying on alchemy. We can't trust it in this place yet, not until we know more."

"Yeah," Ed stood up, his left hand stroking his jaw in thought, "I agree. We better be cautious with alchemy here."

"It's the enemy! To arms men!" The brothers heard the roar of the officer, accompanied by the noise of swords drawn from scabbards.

"C'mon, let see what's going on," Ed dashed into the village.

"So much for saving the day," Al said to himself, as he bounded after his brother.

As the boys picked their way between the houses, they came across a high stack of barrels next to a home with a sturdy looking roof. Desiring the best view of the action unfolding in the village square, Ed and Al ascended the barrels and crawled to a spot next to the chimney.

Their house stood just off the square, at the midpoint of one side. To their right, they could see the troops fanning out into the open space. The officer kept giving orders.

"Swords in front! Jar and Nori, ready a salvo! Archers to the rear, watch for flankers!"

"Thrall!" someone shouted.

"Single line! Jar and Nori, I want one good bombing on my signal, then get yourselves clear, alright? Form up!"

The couple small figures the brothers saw earlier scurried out from the mass of armored warriors. They were not children but little bearded men.

"Dwarves!?" the brothers jaws dropped in amazement.

"Mom used to tell us fairytales about them. Don't they bring presents to orphans or something?" Al asked.

"I don't think those two are in the gift giving business," Ed shook his head, not sure he could believe his eyes.

The dwarves did not look benign in the slightest. In fact they appeared quite militant, clad in leather gear, sporting feathered berets and backpacks. With scowls on their hairy faces and arcane-looking grenades in hand, they stood boldly before the warriors' shield wall.

"Here they come!" someone else shouted.

The Elrics turned their attention to the opposite side of the square. They could see things shifting about within the dark houses. Then, from a home featuring a decent flower garden by the porch, out stepped a monster.

The thing had a silhouette like a man's, and from a fair distance one might mistake it for a man. But the Elrics were close enough to see its greenish-gray skin, which looked rotted and stitched together in places. Its head had hardly any hair, and had eyes that looked dull and lifeless. The creature, however, did not look decrepit but muscular. It wore rusty armor over its shoulders, and frayed pants over its legs. It carried in both hands a large axe.

"What…is that…thing?" Ed gasped.

"Let that thrall come men! Wait till they are all in the open!" the officer shouted.

The thrall grunted loudly, and then more of its brethren began to pour out of the houses. The thrall did not appear very organized, merely gathering in a mob. But they clearly outnumbered the troops.

"Steady! Steady!"

The lead thrall issued a guttural moan, and then the entire group moved towards the soldiers. The creatures did not so much charge as limp, but their advance did not seem any less imposing.

"Grenadiers, now! Now! Now!"

On the officer's order, the dwarves let fly their grenades at the thrall. The brothers dug their fingers into the straw roof as the explosions rocked the house. But the attack devastated the thrall. Some of the creatures were vaporized, while many others lay motionless and severed limb from limb. Still, a sizeable group remained and continued onward.

"Dwarves, fall back! Swords at the ready!"

One of the dwarves turned on his heel and quickly retreated behind the line of warriors. The other, however, ignored orders and moved forward. He began to prime another grenade.

"Nori, that's an order! Get back here now!"

Nori did not seem to either hear or care. As the dwarf prepared to heave the grenade, Ed noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over and saw a four legged creature bearing down on the dwarf.

"Nori, beware the ghol!" the officer shouted desperately.

In almost a blink of an eye, Ed hurled himself off the roof of the house into the square below. Before his feet touched the ground, he changed his metal hand into a razor-sharp blade.

He rushed toward the dwarf, than leapt over the blur of the fast moving creature, slashing downward with his blade.

0000000000000

Nori tensed up and shut his eyes, waiting for the ghol to pounce and hack away. The dwarf knew he let his desire for thrilling heroics overwhelm his better judgment too often, and this time it looked like he finally managed to kill himself.

He waited a moment. Then two. No stinking ghol breath and painful dismemberment. Nori opened his eyes, wondering if his grenade went off prematurely.

In his hand he held the grenade, still burning but intact. He wiggled his toes in his boots. He still lived.

Less could be said of the ghol. The thing lay decapitated before him, cruel scythe still in hand. Nori spat upon the beast and cursed it. Like all true dwarves, he kept a fierce and bitter grudge for the ghols.

Nori looked about for whoever killed the ghol, suspecting that one of the warriors ran up and sliced the thing just in time.

"Did I cut it too close?" someone beside him said.

Nori looked up. To his surprise, he saw not one of the seasoned warriors in his company, but a youth. The lad wore a red cloak over mostly black clothing. One of his hands looked entirely metal, with a large blade protruding from the end. He kept his blond hair tied in one braid at the back of his head. The boy's light green eyes at first displayed fierce determination, but Nori could see a certain friendliness appear in them as the boy grinned down at him.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, at your—"

Before the boy could finish speaking, three thrall loomed up behind him.

"Look out!" Nori lobbed his explosive and pulled the kid after him. They both hit the ground just as the grenade went off, obliterating the thrall.

"Quick now, gotta get back to the line," Nori hopped to his feet as the boy started to pick himself up.

But then Nori realized that they were in the middle of a circle of snarling ghols. The beasts licked their lips hungrily. The dwarf slowly started to reach into his pack for a grenade. He felt sorry for the boy, but the blast would surely kill them both faster than the ravenous ghols.

Suddenly an enormous shadow loomed over them all. In the next instant, half the ghols went flying into the air while the rest turned tail and made for the way out of the square. Nori hurled his grenade after the beasts and chuckled as they endured annihilation.

"Don't go leaping into a fight without me, Ed!" a new voice spoke.

Nori turned around, and barely managed to swallow a gasp of awe. Next to the blond lad was a gigantic man, clad head to toe in full plate armor. As a dwarf, Nori felt used to looking up to people, but he needed to crane his neck uncomfortably to see the man's head. The visor of the helmet was down, so Nori could not see a face. The dwarf felt sure that the man was very strong; the armor looked extremely heavy and yet the man tossed aside half a dozen ghols like pebbles, without even using a weapon. The man looked like a seasoned warrior, standing in a confident fighting pose. However, it did perplex the dwarf greatly when he thought he heard the armored man speak with a voice like a child's.

"You know I'm the better at hand-to-hand. I almost always win when we spar."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly bad myself," the blond lad responded, "I've never given up easy, have I?"

"That you haven't brother." At this point, Nori felt sure that the armored man spoke with the voice of a child. He began to worry that the years of tinkering with volatile substances had damaged his sanity.

A bone javelin bounced off the armored man's chest. Nori quickly deduced that the projectile came from a nearby rooftop. He looked over and saw a couple of skeletal shapes hovering on top of a farm house.

"Soulless!" the dwarf exclaimed, "C'mon now lads, back to the lines!"

Nori took off for shield wall of warriors, who only just finished hacking apart the last of the attacking thrall. He felt the steps of the two newcomers behind him, but could also hear javelins thumping in the ground around them.

"Make way for the dwarf, plus two!" he shouted.

The warriors quickly made a hole in their formation. Nori scurried through, followed closely by the blond lad and his armored companion. The warriors then reformed and raised their shields against the attack of the soulless.

Nori heard Bernard before he saw the captain.

"Archers, target those soulless!"

As the fir'Bolg opened fire on the undead missile troops, Nori suddenly felt Bernard grab him by the collar. He found himself at eye level with a very angry man.

"You stupid, fat midget! When I give you an order Nori, you obey!" the captain bellowed.

"Unhand me, you overbearing lout! Has the air up there gotten to your brain!" Nori's dwarven pride flared dangerously, "Nobody insults a dwarf, not even an officer."

Bernard dropped Nori, but his anger did not abate.

"Insubordination and insolence before an officer! You'll suffer the consequences of your actions when we return to camp dwarf."

Nori simply brushed himself off, unfazed by the threat of punishment. The legion had much better things to do currently then clap troops in irons for minor offenses. Madrigal required every available soldier if the city's defense had any hope of success.

"For goodness sakes, Nori," Bernard's softer side began to show, "You're fortunate to still breathe."

Nori did not begrudge that point. He looked gratefully at the two strangers.

"I have these two to thank for my hide," the dwarf nodded.

Bernard sized up the newcomers. He kept hidden his astonishment at their appearances, as well as his respect for their efforts. They had saved one of his soldiers. And they single-handedly repulsed an entire pack of ghols, something many men could not boast of. Still, one needed to carry suspicion of strangers found in the middle of a war zone.

"I am Captain Bernard of the 13th legion, and you will answer what I ask you," Bernard began interrogating, "Who are you? What are you doing out here?"

"We're the Elric brothers," the short, blond one spoke, "I'm the older one; Edward, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward motioned to his large companion.

"This is Alphonse, my younger brother."

"Hello," Alphonse spoke in an almost absurdly happy tone, and waved. Bernard could not stifle his confusion that a grown man could possess such a childish sounding voice and be the younger sibling to an adolescent.

"Wait, how come he's younger and yet so much taller than you?" Bernard asked Edward.

"Didn't you have a more important question?" the youth sneered at him.

"Wha—," Bernard sputtered at the boy's disrespect, "I am the one asking questions here!"

"Go on then," the boy spoke, slightly less impudent in tone.

"What are you doing out here? This is enemy territory."

"Oh well, uh," Edward smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. Bernard realized the youth lacked any kind of respect for adults.

"Answer me, boy!"

"Actually, I should probably let you know that a group of guys followed you most of the way here," Edward nodded his head towards the river, "They looked like enemies."

"Huh? Oh!" Bernard exclaimed, remembering the wights.

The captain looked down the road. The small bunch of wights was shambling up the road behind his force, edging inexorably closer. They were still at a safe distance.

"Easily dealt with. Archery captain!"

ii'Shuul appeared promptly, and notched an arrow to his longbow. He cast the projectile into the center of the wight cluster. All of the undead fiends burst in a mighty explosion of putrid flesh and pus. The force of the discharge caused a nearby house to cave in.

"Soulless been dealt with, ?" Bernard's attention turned away from questioning the Elrics to more pressing military concerns.

"Yes sir."

"Very good."

The captain began tasking out orders, sending teams of men to scour the houses for survivors; rescue any civilians, kill the Fallen. He assigned two of ii'Shuul's archers with watching the road to the enemy camp. When his warriors reported back from searching the empty homes, he set the dwarves busy stuffing Comfort full of satchel charges. At any moment, Bernard's unit might need to beat a hasty retreat, and with all the farmers dead he took some consolation in knowing no one would complain when his men put the village to the flame.

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The Elrics felt quite relieved that Captain Bernard had quickly forgotten them, since coming up with a good story about their origins would require more time. For the moment, they stayed out of the way of the busy soldiers and leaned against the wall of a nearby hut.

"This is intense," Ed groaned, watching as men hurried back and forth.

"We've certainly stumbled into the middle of a major war," added Al, feeling just as tense as his brother.

"Yeah, but what are these things?" Ed looked over the enemy bodies, "Most of these look like they should be in graves."

"They were once, lad," said a gruff voice.

Ed looked down to see the dwarf he rescued earlier, Nori, burying an explosive in the ground.

"You must be from far away, or you musta been living under some massive rock," Nori continued as he finished with his explosive, "not to have known anythin' about the Fallen or the Great War."

"The Fallen? The Great War?" Ed cocked his head to one side, inquisitive.

"They're coming!" someone shouted.

Two archers came running into the square from the other side of the village. Ed had not gotten a good look at them during the fight earlier, but now he could see them clearly.

The archers resembled human warriors much more than the dwarves, their height and basic form similar to that of well built men. The similarities stopped there however. Instead of heavy mail, they wore the light cloth apparel of hunters. They had long beards, not scruffy like the dwarves but fine and combed. They kept their hair in a similar fashion. Ed found the archers' facial features most striking, as they had chins and foreheads much broader than humans. Their almond shaped eyes displayed keen focus. They pricked their pointed ears from time to time, listening intently to their surroundings.

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"Report!" Captain Bernard approached the scouts. The rest of his soldiers began to gather round him.

"We haven't much time," one of the archers spoke, a young fir'Bolg called un'Gar, "As we speak, there are soulless pouring out of the trees down the road. They're covering the flanks of a large body of thrall moving up towards us. By my guess, we're looking at a battle group in excess of five-hundred."

"Excellent!" Bernard looked to the skies, both to give thanks to the gods and to check the position of the moon. The time was almost two o'clock. With the enemy coming in force up the road towards Comfort, Bernard felt he could claim his diversion a success. The Fallen would be looking focused on their rear, and would be caught unaware when the legions came storming down on the right flank. Now Bernard need only focus on getting his unit back to safety.

"We're moving out, now!" Bernard surveyed his troops, "Jar and Nori, set a timed fuse for the satchel charges. Be ready to light it once I give the order to withdraw. Owen and Devon, get the men into lines and choose scouts. ii'Shuul, bring in your archers, remind them to stay on the lookout for wights. Quick now, move!"

While everyone bustled about with their orders, Bernard made his way over to the Elrics. The strangers needed to be dealt with, one way or another.

"You two," he made himself as imposing as possible, making sure to glare down at the short boy, "you're to come with us. You still have plenty of explaining to do; we'll sort it out at headquarters. You saved my dwarf, so I'll grant you a little trust. You can keep your arms and defend yourselves. But one false move and –"

"Alright, alright, we get it!" Edward seemed unfazed by Bernard's show of authority, "We might as well go with you anyway, don't have many other options."

"Young man, don't make me tell you again to show some respect!"

The boy merely cocked his eyebrows and moved off towards the gathering body of soldiers.

"C'mon, Al!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Please don't mind my brother," the great armored man, or boy, said to Bernard, almost pleading, "He just gets uncomfortable when people treat him like a child. Or when they make comments about his height, just for future reference. You'll see, he's really a good person."

With that, Alphonse strode after his brother. Bernard shook his head at the odd pair as he moved to the front of the troop column. He gave the order to move out.


	2. Chapter 2

Comfort burned brightly as the diversion force wound away from the village, down the dark road

Comfort burned brightly as the diversion force wound away from the village, down the dark road. No one seemed to mind the brisk pace this time. Bernard actually needed to scold a few men for getting too far ahead.

Occasionally a wight or two would emerge from the trees and make for the road, but the archers managed to catch the fiends in time. Beyond that, no more enemies had been seen in pursuit. Feeling in the home stretch, the soldiers began to think that perhaps they would all come out of the mission unscathed. Even Bernard allowed himself a little bit of hope.

Then the scouts came rushing back to the column, and everyone felt their hearts sink.

"What do you see, Alan?" Bernard met the lead scout, and held his arm up to signal the column to halt.

"We're in trouble sir," Alan wheezed, "The enemy. They…they've outmaneuvered us, sir. Up ahead, at the bridge, they've got…they've got it blocked. There's many ghols there. But that's not the worst of it."

"What else?"

"There's myr—myr—Myrmidons, sir," Alan stuttered, not from fatigue but from fear.

The captain cursed his luck. Arrows and grenades could do little against enemies as swift and tough as Myrmidons. The highland Northmen, the best with swords left in the legions, could go toe-to-toe without much worry against Myrmidons. But in Bernard's group there were only men from the lowlands of the Province: reliable, experienced, and well-drilled, but almost useless against myrmidons unless in superior numbers. And Bernard knew his troops were outnumbered.

Outnumbered and trapped.

"It can't be helped," Bernard sighed. He knew the coming battle would get very ugly.

"Steel yourselves men!" the captain drew his sword, "Make ready to rush the bridge. We've got to get across before the rest of the enemy catches up to us."

"Wait, there's another way!"

The soldiers turned to see the two Elric brothers standing just off the road. The younger one addressed them, pointing off to the side.

"There's another crossing, through the woods. My brother and I saw it. Follow us!"

Both the boy and his great armored brother took off in the direction of the woods. The soldiers on the road paused.

"What do we do, sir?" a nearby warrior asked his captain.

"There can't be another crossing, not for miles" Bernard shook his head, his tolerance severely challenged "I've seen the maps. Get out there and grab those two immediately."

"Oh, blast the maps," Nori exclaimed as he broke off from the column, "Those two saved my life once tonight; I bet they can do it again."

"Nori, get your short-ass back on the line!" Bernard shouted as the dwarf headed for the edge of the woods, following the footsteps of the Elrics.

The dwarf paid Bernard no mind. The captain clenched his jaw in frustration. Nori had now committed his third offense of the night by deserting. Bernard could not let such a breach of conduct go unpunished.

"After them, all of you! Apprehend the dwarf and the boys. Use force if necessary."

The entire column of troops rushed off the road towards the woods. Privately, many of them began to hope again. Perhaps, just maybe, the Elrics could lead them out of the trap.

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"I know we might be saving their lives, Ed, but this could go badly too," Al said as he rushed through the trees, his brother beside him, "We never saw any part of the river beyond the bridge back there. Blindly gambling on finding another crossing is very risky. And once those soldiers realize we've lied, they will not be happy."

"Yeah, well, so far this is better than following Bernard and company into a horde of enemies," Ed grunted as he clambered up logs that Al easily vaulted over, "If we don't find a crossing, there are other ways of getting over that river."

"What did we just talk about? Not relying on alchemy! I know what you're thinking brother, but imagine what'll happen if the transmutation fails, or worse? And then we'll still have the lives of all these people on our hands."

"We don't have a lot of options here, brother. Desperate times, desperate measures. Like you said, you're still here, so this world does support some limit of alchemy. We need to test those limits if we hope to survive here, not to mention get back home."

The boys soon broke out of the woods and emerged onto the bank of the river. They could see no obvious ford across the swiftly moving waters. Luckily, they discovered a boulder embedded in the river bank. The rock was so massive that it extended almost a quarter of the way across the river and stood a couple of yards over the water surface.

"That's our way across," Ed grinned and pointed to the boulder.

"Alright, brother," Al watched as Ed hopped onto the top of the rock, "I hope this works."

Al heard a rustle in the leaves behind him. He turned to find Nori stumbling out of the bushes.

"Well, there you are!" the dwarf began to chuckle, "You two could outrun an avalanche given the chance."

His good humor faded as he surveyed the river bank.

"Uhh, where's that river crossing?" Nori scowled.

"Brother's making it, I hope," Al nodded towards Ed, who began the transmutation with a clap of his hands.

"Making it!? You hope!? What'n the blazes do—"

The dwarf ceased to speak and let his jaw hang agape as he watched Ed crouch down to transmute the boulder. Its surface glowed at the touch of Ed's hands, and then a long arm of rock began to stretch out across the river. In the next moment, the end of the rock arm buried itself in the opposite river bank. Ed stood up, the proud creator of a new bridge just wide enough for a man to cross without difficulty.

"Wha…how?" Nori slowly regained his speech.

The dwarf walked forward until he stood next to Ed, and put one of his feet on the bridge to test its strength.

"Good and solid," the dwarf marveled, "I can't say I've seen a fair lot of wizardry, but I never thought something like this was even possible. How are you a sorcerer and yet so young?"

"It isn't magic," Ed smiled and put his hands on his hips in a confident pose, "It's alchemy."

"Do you have to keep showing off every time you impress someone?" Al loomed behind his brother, reproachfully.

"Eh?" Nori looked confused.

"Halt there!"

The Elrics and Nori looked back to see the rest of the soldiers emerge from the woods. Bernard led the warriors, easily distinguished from the greenery by their blue surcoats, out of the foliage while the archers and remaining dwarf followed close behind. The captain looked quite livid.

"How dare you all! Desertion is an offense punishable by…" the captain's voice trailed off as he noticed Ed's bridge.

"That wasn't there before!" "No map said anything about a second bridge." "Where'd that come from?" The soldiers, incapable of keeping their astonishment to themselves, gazed upon the creation. Even the usually composed archers, who the Elrics now understood were not men but a race called fir'Bolg, seemed amazed by the sight.

"Well quit gaping!" Nori scolded "It's a good bridge. Let's get across!"

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Much later, after safely crossing the river and marching a long distance, Bernard ordered his troops to make camp. The captain posted a couple of sentries, while much of the unit lay down to rest in the few hours remaining before sunrise.

But one small group remained awake, huddled about a meager fire. Most were warriors, who cleaned their weapons and chain mail, or looked over the dents in their long shields and conical helmets.

The Elric brothers sat with these few soldiers, quietly brooding over the events of the evening. Ed's mind raced with questions to the point that he could not sleep. Though physically weary, he occupied himself with rubbing down his metal hand before replacing his gloves. Al's condition made him incapable of feeling tired at all, and he thought as much as his brother about their recent experiences. As time passed, and they stared into the flames, the brothers began to wonder about the friends they left behind.

"Ed, I'd give a lot to see Winry right now. So much has happened."

"What're you talking 'bout there lad?" Nori, who was squatting on a log nearby, leaned forward to listen to Al. Both brothers had forgotten about the others sitting around the fire.

"Mutual friend of my brother and me," Ed answered, half-smiling as he kept thinking of Winry, "She lives in this little village and we don't get to see her too often. But she always manages to brighten our spirits."

"Ah, a female! Pretty I bet? Always good company." The dwarf chuckled and smacked his knee. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

"When's the last time you enjoyed the company of a woman, Nori?" a hardy-looking warrior from across the fire snorted, "Did she stoop over, or did you stand on a box?"

"Hey, you can keep your gangly human females to yourself, Gerrard! Gimme a nice, pretty dwarf lass: short and round with hair in all the right places!"

The other warriors around the fire roared in amusement. The Elric brothers glanced at each other, equally confused and disturbed.

"Anyway," Nori turned back to the boys, "Your Winry's village must be an awfully long way from here. I mean, how else could you lads know nothin' about all this."

"What do you mean all this?" Al asked.

"Why, the Great War. And the Fallen. You there, Ed, you looked right confused back in town when I mentioned the war and all."

"Well, you're right, we are from pretty far away," Ed turned so he could face the dwarf easily, "So, if you don't mind, could you explain what's going on?"

"Sure, sure." The dwarf pulled at his beard a moment, going over the details in his mind before beginning the story. The other soldiers about the fire ceased their work, and listened to Nori tell his tale.

"You see, it all started, a long time ago. Once, east of the Cloudspine, there was the mighty empire of Cath Bruig. Its capital was Muirthemne, the greatest city ever built; its high white towers reached towards the sky, its bazaar bustled with people and goods from all corners of the world. They say Cath Bruig saw its golden age under a hero called Connacht, who wiped out the evil race of Myrkridia. Connacht reigned well after the war, bringing peace and prosperity to the land. He forged an alliance between my people, the dwarves of the mountain cities at Mygard and Stoneheim, and kingdoms of men. At his palace, he even gathered all the world's great artifacts, treasures, and books: such wonders as the five Eblis Stones, the Tramist's Mirror, and the Total Codex."

Ed and Al shifted at the mention of the ancient book, but kept their focus on the dwarf.

"This whole region, west of the Cloudspine," Nori went on, "used to be but one province of the Empire. Now it is all that remains."

"Why? What happened?" Al leaned forward.

The dwarf removed his cap and rubbed the top of his bald head. His eyes seemed to mist over and he stared into the fire, reliving a painful memory. The other soldiers nearby looked similarly forlorn and distant as Nori managed to continue.

"Fifty years ago, he came. Out of the east. Balor, the dark one. Him and his Fallen Lords, the six sorcerer-generals whose hordes continue to drive us back to the sea. When Balor came, he brought destruction and havoc upon us all. He unleashed the Trow from their prisons beneath the earth. He and his generals brought with them other foul creatures too. They raised armies of dead, the Fallen. No one could stop them. Balor crushed the Cath Bruig. His crack troops, the Myrmidons, sacked Muirthemne, slaughtered everyone inside, and burned ruins to the ground."

Nori paused for a moment.

"He…he helped the ghols overrun Mygard…and Stoneheim," Nori almost choked on his words, and his eyes flashed with first sorrow, then rage.

"Nori…is there anything left?" Ed forced himself to ask. He felt sorry for the dwarf.

"But a little," Nori shook his head and replaced his cap, apparently recovered "Now the legions that were stationed here, in the Province, are the only forces left between Balor and complete dominion over the land. We've been fighting a losing battle here for decades, slowly retreating as the Fallen push onward. Only two cities remain in our hands, Madrigal and Tandem. And Madrigal is besieged at this very moment, by the forces of Shiver, one of Balor's Fallen Lords. But perhaps the tide may turn."

"This here," Nori gestured to the sleeping soldiers, "is a diversion force. That whole operation earlier was us carrying out our mission; a feint towards Shiver's main camp, which is just South of that abandoned village."

"So that's why they weren't worried about making noise the whole time. They wanted the enemy to notice them," Al whispered to his brother.

"Six of our legions, 'bout 20,000 men altogether, are attacking on Shiver's right flank as we speak," the dwarf continued, pounding his fists together eagerly, "See, the plan was that we'd get Shiver's reserves all riled up and chasing after us. Then our legions would come down on Shiver's siege lines, leaving her caught between them and Madrigal's garrison. So far, looks like everything's worked out perfectly. With some luck, our boys will sweep Shiver away and save the city!"

"This Fallen Lord, why is she called Shiver?" Ed asked, looking over the faces of the soldiers. None of them looked as optimistic as Nori.

"Most of the boys say she inspires a fearsome awe in her when you see her," the warrior named Gerrard spoke, "I've never seen her, but she's supposed to be beautiful, yet frightening too. She enchants you, stealing your very soul away till there's nothing left but a quivering husk of a man. There's stories of whole companies falling to their knees before her, fascinated and terrified out of their minds."

"I don't care what they say!" Nori glowered into the flames, "That creature will get a grenade in her first chance I get!"

The dwarf heaved an imaginary explosive with all his might.

"Not everyone calls her Shiver though," the lead scout from the retreat, Alan, joined the conversation, "The Nine, they tend to call her the Voiceless One. Beats me why they call her that. Well there is a rumor. They say—"

"Wait a minute," Ed interrupted, "The Nine? Who are the Nine?"

"Goodness, boyo," Nori snorted, "Don't get me wrong, I'm eternally grateful to you for saving my life, but you ask so many questions!"

"The Nine are our leaders," Bernard spoke. The captain emerged from the darkness and sat down by the fire. He was cleaning his sword. "They're wizards and our top generals."

"Fine lot they are," Gerrard grumbled, "I wouldn't count on one of the Nine being any match for a Fallen Lord, in either strategy or single-combat. With every campaign, no real gains. We just keep getting pushed back, back, back!"

"Oh c'mon!" Alan exclaimed, "What about Rabican? He's held Madrigal for a week now, with just one legion. And against an entire army!"

"Rabican's no fool and no coward," Gerrard responded, "But he's no match for Shiver. Just not good enough. It's only been luck, that's all. We've been due for some since we lost the south to the Fallen. Rabican lasting a week under-siege, and this opportunity for a surprise attack: that's all our luck for the rest of the year, right there. I'll bet you Shiver will beat our legions anyway. And our 13th is good as dead, since our boys always lead the charge."

"Are you finished, soldier?" Bernard slid his sword back into his scabbard, loudly, to emphasize his disapproval.

"Sorry, captain, sir. I was only venting. I'll keep my mouth shut next time, sir."

No one spoke for a short time. But Ed, eager for more information, could not remain silent for long.

"So the Fallen control all of the south parts of the Province, now?" he asked, hoping not to rub salt in any wounds.

"Yeah," Nori talked out the side of his mouth as he spit in the fire.

"And was it Shiver you've been fighting this whole time?"

"No," Bernard answered, "With Shiver, there's another Fallen Lord on this side of the Cloudspine. The Watcher, he's called. He's destroyed his own share of cities and legions. I couldn't tell you where he is though, or even what he looks like. The 13th has been in the North the entire war. Beating back raids and shadowing Shiver's movements occupy us constantly."

"Strange," Nori added, "I can't even remember the last bit of news we had about the Watcher."

"What about the rest of these Fallen Lords? Where are they?" Ed asked.

"Where they are now, only the gods know," Bernard responded, "Not all of them have even crossed the Cloudspine yet, so far as we know. Some have crossed and then returned east. We're only rank and file, boy. The finer points of the enemy's dealings don't make it down to us."

"There's four others, but it's dangerous to speak names aloud." Alan almost whispered, "There's the Deceiver, then Bonesplitter, the Faceless Man…and then…"

"The worst of all, next to only Balor himself," Gerrard closed his eyes and cringed, "Soulblighter."

"What makes Soulblighter so awful?"

"Best not ask that, lad" Nori laid a hand on Ed's shoulder, "They won't answer. We don't often discuss the Fallen Lords openly, and certainly no one talks about…well, you know. He might be listening."

"I don't understand. Is Soulblighter somehow worse then Balor?" Al asked.

"Balor's the worst of them all, make no mistake about that. But he's left most of the campaigning to his generals since he took Muirthemne. He's up to other…things…in the east, they say."

"Besides," Alan shuddered, "Soul—…him, he can be…can be…"

"The easiest way to explain it," Bernard said, unwavering, "is that he can be anywhere, or everywhere, at his choosing."

Ed frowned, mystified. Al rubbed his helmet in puzzlement. They did not understand how anyone could wield such power.

Bernard glanced at the sky. His eyes narrowed.

"First light is almost upon us," the captain rose to his feet, "Time to wake the company. We march to the legion camp now."

He turned to the Elrics.

"You lads better be ready to do some of your own explaining once we reach headquarters. The commander will want to see you, I can guarantee that. And who knows, you might even get to see the Nine."

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The legion camp did not look pretty. The tents, while in orderly rows, looked so weathered that they hardly seemed adequate shelters. The Elrics could see through holes in the roofs and the sides of some of the tents. The air about them smelled of smoke and iron. They could hear hammers pounding on anvils, and the moans of the injured.

The boys saw many wounded soldiers about the camp, some with only deep cuts or broken bones, and others barely clinging to life. The wounded appeared absorbed in feelings of loss and pain, and paid little attention to the rest of the world.

But plenty of able-bodied soldiers milled about the camp as well. These men took notice of Bernard and his returning company. Some of them pointed at the Elrics and talked amongst themselves. The boys began to feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, look 'ere lads. The yung Captain returns with no causalities!" a huge, burly man with a thick accent stepped out of the crowd and slapped Bernard on the back, "By my sword, Bernard, me boyo, you'll outshine all the officers in this fine legion if ye keep up this kind of service. He', you sure ur' all lowlander? Perhaps ye father had some highlander in 'em."

"Truan of the Hundred Battles!" Bernard's face lit up as he recognized the man, "So you've managed to survive yet another fight. Still keeping count?"

"Heh, well, lad, there isn't much point in keepin' count after a hundred," Truan grinned as he fell into step with Bernard, "Truan of the Hundred-and-Seven Battles is a bit long. Not the same ring to et."

The big warrior glanced back at the Elric brothers. Ed realized that the man wore no body armor at all, and hardly any clothing save a kilt and boots. On his back, the warrior carried an immense double-handed sword. Scars, blue war-paint, and strange tattoos covered his body. Long mangy hair and a thick beard hid much of his face. Truan eyed both Ed and Al with suspicion, his gaze as sharp as the blade he wielded in battle.

"And who are these?" Truan asked of Bernard. The column stopped moving, and some soldiers from the camp stepped forward for a better look at the boys.

"Them? They call themselves the Elric brothers. Alphonse, the big one, and Edward the— "

"Don't you dare call me short!" Ed fumed.

"Brother, calm down," Al cautioned, "You'll get us into trouble."

But he spoke too late. Truan sensed an opportunity and stared down at Ed.

"Aww, look at the little pipsqueak. He's so cute. Whatsa matter there, shorty? Don't have the guts to stand up to an officer of the 13th legion? Go on lad, you said et yourself, don't let 'im call you short! Or are you gunna mind your tongue and respect your betters?"

"Edward, settle down. Truan, let the boy be; he can't help his lacking height," Bernard smirked, pleased to put a quarrelsome youth in his place.

"Quit mocking me!" Ed snarled.

Many of the nearby troops snickered at Ed's reaction, though a few of the troops from Bernard's column kept silent. Al noticed this, feeling glad that perhaps he and his brother had won over some friends.

Ed, however, continued glaring up at Truan, who stooped at little to emphasize his next condescending remark.

"Whatcha gonna do about it? Shorty?"

With a yell, Ed jabbed at Truan with his right arm. The warrior caught Ed's fist with his own hand.

"Fast punch, laddie, but not fast enough!"

Truan grinned as he began to squeeze down on the boy's hand, hoping to teach him a lesson. Surprisingly, the lad did not even flinch. Nor did his hand seem to buckle under the pressure of Truan's grip. The warrior's grin vanished from his face.

"Wha—?"

"Good grip," now Ed grinned, "but not good enough!"

Ed twisted his hand out of Truan's and somersaulted to the other side of the camp road. He tore off his right glove, and threw up his metal fist defiantly.

"Now you see why they call me the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

By this time, an audience of soldiers had gathered about the scene. They marveled at the intricate prosthetic hand, and at the boy's assertive display. Some called it bold. Many more called it stupid.

"Brother, what are you doing!?" Al shouted, unheard amidst the commotion of the crowd.

"So, I've been challenged," Truan fingered his sword, "By an adolescent, nonetheless. But here's a lesson for you, lad. Never issue a challenge, unless you mean to stand by it."

"Wait a minute. Truan, this is going too far. No fight in the camp!" Bernard urged.

But the great warrior brought forth his immense weapon and assumed an aggressive stance.

"Truan of the Hundred Battles never refuses a challenge!"

Then, with a roar, Truan charged and swept his sword before him. Ed dodged the singing blade, which cleaved through a sturdy tent pole.

"Fight!" the enthusiastic cry erupted from the now surging audience. Dwarves in the back hopped up, attempting to catch a glimpse of the action. The crowd engulfed Al and the members of Bernard's company. They could only watch, along with the hundreds of excited onlookers, as the duel unfolded before them.

Ed knew he needed more space to move if he stood any chance of beating Truan. He carefully retreated down the lane of tents, using somersaults to avoid sword swipes while occasionally kicking out at his opponent. The crowd followed the movement of the combatants. Most of them cheered Truan.

"Go on, northman!", "Teach that whelp, berseker!", "Make him mind the officers!", "Truan!!"

"Don't listen to 'em, Ed," Nori, who stood close by, shouted, "Keep your head, boy!"

"Watch out brother!" Al cried.

"Whasa matter? Scared to fight?" Truan taunted.

Ed's blood boiled but he kept falling back. Truan would get his due as soon as Ed could find more open ground.

Sure enough, the pair soon came upon a wide parade ground towards the center of the camp. The wild movements of the duel, plus the hundreds of feet following it, began to kick up the dirt. The situation reminded Ed of an alchemist duel he once fought against Colonel Mustang, and an idea sprang into his mind.

Ed quickly kicked up some more dirt, and then flipped backward through a cloud of dust. Truan kept coming forward.

"Ah hah! Gotcha now!" the warrior saw a short silhouette in front, wearing a long cloak. With a swift kick, Truan pinned the boy to the ground.

Except it was not the boy. Truan looked down and saw only a mannequin made of clay, with Ed's red cloak draped over its shoulders. He could read a word etched onto the mannequin's forehead:

SUCKER

"Aw crap!"

Ed's metal foot slammed into the side of Truan's head. The warrior staggered backward, clutching his skull with one hand. Ed sprang back several paces, and gave Truan time to recover as he transmuted his arm into a blade. The crowd of soldiers looked on in stunned awe.

Truan growled and shook his head.

"There's more to ye than I thought lad, I'll give you that much. You had me there."

"Figured I'd spare you," Ed crowed, "so you could fully savor defeat."

"Defeat!? I'm just getting' started boyo!"

Truan issued a bloodcurdling yell and leapt forward with his sword overhead. Ed barely had enough time raise his blade. He blocked successfully, but the force of the blow brought him to his knees. Ed needed to use both his arms just to keep the sword back from his face. Truan towered above, projecting an aura of terrible rage as he pressed his sword downward.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" Ed furiously screamed at Truan.

"Nah, just testin' your resolve. You're impressin' me Edward," the warrior smiled, not in triumph but in genuine appreciation.

"Hey, stop hurting my brother!" Alphonse roared and came stomping forward.

Ed sensed his opponent's distraction and attempted to kick out the warrior's legs. But Truan possessed equally keen senses, as he leapt over Ed's kick and away from both brothers. The boys and the warrior stood in a triangle, surrounded by a now ecstatic throng of soldiers. Nothing this exciting ever occurred in camp.

The brothers paused to exchange words before renewing the clash.

"Al, thanks for backing me up!"

"Ed, even when you do the dumbest things, I won't abandon you!"

"So, both the Elric brothers together," Truan laughed, "This could get interesting!"

And then the fight began anew. Truan's sword flashed in the morning sun, while the Elrics darted about him. One brother would parry while the other struck at their foe. But Truan always managed to block or move out of the way, and then strike back. The clang of metal upon metal resounded throughout the square. No one noticed the hollow noise Al's armor would make at the strike of Truan's blade. The troops cheered loudly, many still supporting their own man. But plenty of others, impressed by the spirit and skill of the Elrics, shouted on behalf of the young alchemists. The battle seemed as if it might last all day.

But not much time passed before a horn began to sound, and part of the crowd began to shift as loud voice bellowed over the noise.

"Make way! Make way there, I say! C'mon, move aside for Commander Marius!"

The crowd parted, and a color guard marched into the square. Truan and the Elrics ceased fighting. The crowd of troops fell silent. The color guard halted and snapped to attention.

A middle aged man with a short grizzled beard stepped out from the formation. He wore armor similar to the standard issue for the human legionnaires, except he wore a white surcoat instead of a blue one. He scowled as he surveyed the scene.

"Berserker," he looked straight at Truan, "care to explain this display?"

"Well, 'tis nothin' Marius. Just a…misunderstandin' of sorts."

"Misunderstanding? Is that what they call brawling now?"

"Err…"

"All of you!" Marius swept up around the square, shouting into the crowd, "Are in a direct dereliction of duty! And yet you call yourselves soldiers of 13th! We may have won last night's clash, but the battle's not over. You all owe your skins to his lordship, Rabican, and this is how you repay him? By dodging work and encouraging brawling? Shame! All of you, return to your duties. Any further infractions will meet severe consequences!"

The encircling troops shuffled off, with little grumbling. Marius focused on Truan.

"I understand you are a hero of this legion, Truan. Gods above, you are a hero of this whole bloody war. But that still does not give you a free pass to throw discipline to the winds!"

"Sorry sir, no excuse. Got carried away is all. It's just these two lads are such fine fighters and all. They'd be an asset to the legion."

Marius looked up at Alphonse, and then down at Edward, who quickly transmuted his blade back into his forearm.

"You two, who are you? What are you doing in this camp? How dare you cause a disturbance here?"

"Sir, they are my responsibility," Bernard stepped forward from the dispersing crowd, saluting his superior, "My company and I encountered them during our mission. They returned here with us, by their own volition I might add."

Marius studied Bernard's face, discerning the officer's feelings to his new wards.

"Captain, I think it best that you come to my office so we might discuss this further."

The commander then glowered down at Ed and Al.

"You two, go assist Bernard's unit, the 26th company, in…some useful way. Truan will show you the way."

With that, Marius marched off for his office in a large tent just off the parade ground. Bernard glanced over his shoulder at the Elrics before jogging after his superior.

"C'mon then lads," Truan spoke as he sheathed his sword, "I'll show you where you need to be."

00000000000000000000000000000000

When the Elrics entered the 26th company's section of the camp, cheers welcomed them. Truan grinned, whispered something about business elsewhere, and then promptly left before anyone could taunt him being equaled by two adolescents. The soldiers invited the Elrics to sit down for supper of chicken gruel.

The brothers took their seats by Nori. Ed quickly slurped down his ration of gruel, then in a half-feigned gluttony slurped down Al's ration too. The brothers felt they needed to conceal Al's condition until they felt a bit more accepted by their new friends. No one took notice of Al's lack of an appetite; they were too busy listening to stories from the great battle.

26th shared their meal with several other companies. Old friends sat in tight knit groups, swapping stories of the past action. A dwarf named Barin, a friend of Nori's from another company, stood on a barrel and regaled the troops with an account of the great battle. Indeed, the whole camp buzzed with talk about the clash.

Everyone agreed upon the assault's success, even the staunchest pessimists. In hushed voice to emphasize the covert night operations, Barin described the slow and steady advance of the main body towards Madrigal. Both the river crossing and the subsequent march proceeded smoothly and silently. Nothing in recent military history could match the discipline with which the troops carried out the maneuvers.

Barin raised his voice as the story neared the climax. In the dead of night, the army arrived on the edge of the woodlands. In the trampled grain fields they could see huge bonfires set by Shiver's troops, and a ring of siege works encircling the beleaguered Madrigal. Packs of ghols flitted here and there, while tireless mobs of undead shambled forth to reinforce the front lines. To behold such a host made it all the more amazing that Rabican still held the city with but a single legion.

"And then, the signal! From the towers of the city, we heard the cadence beat and the war horns blow. The gates groaned open. And though we stood a fair distance away, I could see him standing in the great threshold, between the foul hordes and the inner light of the city. His armor shone in the torchlight as he held his sword high, the very air about him crackling with power. A hero, in every measure. Lord Rabican!"

The troops cheered and chanted his name. The Elrics leaned forward intently, desiring to catch the rest of the account.

Barin spared no flourish or praise in his description of the clash. The relief legions swept down from the woodlands upon the Fallen while Rabican's army broke out of Madrigal. The devastating charge soon put the enemy on their heels. But it would take a final blow to destroy them utterly.

"At that moment, the mobs of thrall parted ranks to make a path for their master. And she came forth to the mindless howls, the very ground beneath her withering in death. That she-wolf who drank the blood of our friends and families: Shiver.

All shrank back a step in fear. All, but Rabican. Nay, he strode forward. And there, in the space between the hosts, the unthinkable happened and history was made; a dream duel to the death, between one of our Nine and one of the Fallen Lords.

And our lord stood resolute, as Shiver buckled before him. She twisted and screamed as his magic flayed her very skin from the bone. And when all was said and done, with Shiver's ashes smoldering on the plain, her forces routed before our might, Rabican raised his blade high once again. In total victory. Hero of the Light. Lord Rabican!"

The final round of cheers and chanting seemed to last forever. The Elrics saw that the victory meant more than the world to the troops. The brothers could only guess at the horrible defeats these men endured before the glorious events of last night. Finally, these soldiers felt the sweet taste of triumph.

Eventually, the troops finished their celebratory meal and began preparing for their next engagement. Smiths repaired mail and sharpened weapons against grindstones. Bowyers fashioned new arrows, and chemists mixed explosive cocktails. Elsewhere, officers drilled the men in stations. Pairs of warriors sparred with wooden armaments, large groups practiced shield formations. Archers and dwarves tested their honed accuracy on targets, while also brushing up on close combat techniques. The Elrics occasionally got up to spar, and spent some time helping to fashion explosives. Mostly, they just stood back and observed all the activity.

"I dunno, Ed. They lack modern weaponry and sophisticated alchemy, but all the same I think these people are impressive. They're dedicated and they cooperate, despite racial differences. I'm glad we've made some friends here. Our military could learn something from the soldiers of this world."

"I wouldn't go so far as to call them all friends, brother. Those dwarves seem fiercely independent and prideful. I'd like to learn more about those fir'Bolg. And why only humans seem to be in command here beats me. But yeah, these people definitely seem willing to tolerate one another and strive for a goal."

"It's because their homes are in danger. They're fighting to defend their very way of life, kinda like the Ishbalans."

"Exactly like the Ishbalans, Al. That comparison…certainly makes my perspective of our military even clearer. Our troops, even our fellow state alchemists, did things comparable to the actions of those Fallen Lords. And for what? Doesn't make any sense."

Ed hunched his shoulders. His eyes clenched shut as he fought to halt the racing, confused emotions in his heart.

"I'll never be a true dog of the military, Al. Even if it means disobeying direct orders. I couldn't bear having such crimes on my conscience. My soul's weighed down by enough sin already."

"We'll get our bodies back, brother," Al laid a gauntlet upon his brother's shoulder, "Then we'll put everything to rights. You'll see."

A few moments of silence passed for the brothers, oblivious to buzz of martial activity nearby.

Ed nodded and Al let his arm fall away. The older brother rolled his shoulders and neck a bit, then straightened up again. As they returned to watching the training exercises, Ed also resumed the conversation.

"You said they didn't have alchemy. But there is something else. The magic wielded by Rabican. Above all things, that's something I want to study closely."

"They called the fight with Shiver a dream duel. What does that mean? It doesn't sound like alchemy. We definitely need more information."

Bernard appeared on the fringe of the training activities. He weaved through the proceedings, occasionally nodding to an officer, as he made his way towards the Elrics.

"Let's see what the captain has in store for us, Al. Maybe that will get us some where."

As Bernard approached, Ed folded his arms in a subtle demonstration of insolence. The captain still had yet to win the young alchemist's full regard.

"There you are. How does the camp life treat you both?" the captain inquired with only half-interest, his mind obviously concerned with other matters.

"Just fine, thank you!" Only Al politely responded. Ed kept his reserved pose as he grimly looked up at Bernard.

"Did your mother teach you such disrespect?" Bernard scoffed at Ed.

"Do not speak of my mother, Captain. I respect those who earn it and to those who return it. Your men have done both for me. But you've yet to do either."

"Where I come from, men don't heed the opinions of untried youth."

"And where I come from, I am a recognized official of the state," Ed reached into his pocket to produce a silver watch ingrained with the Presidential crest and the hexagram of the alchemist corps.

"They call me the Fullmetal Alchemist. You've seen my alchemy save lives, you've witnessed my skill in combat. And this object may mean nothing to you, but in my home this is a mark of authority, a confirmation of my power. Yes, I am young, but I hold a rank that men twice my age struggle to attain for years. Knowing this, would you still consider me an inferior, an untried youth?"

Bernard only gave the watch a glance and a dismissive grunt.

"What I think of you isn't relevant now. What matters now is what the Nine think of you. And they must think a great deal of both of you, Alphonse and Edward, because they want to see you. That's right, you've been granted an audience at their chambers within the hour. And unless you want to be late, which I would not advise, then you best follow me in all haste."


	3. Chapter 3

A long trek through the camps of the legions and across the plains of battle eventually brought the Elrics into Madrigal. As Bernard led them through the city, the brothers saw destruction and suffering everywhere.

The fact that the city still stood at all seemed miraculous. Most of it lay in ruins, with many buildings either singed by flame or crumbled in heaps of rubble. Passage down the debris strewn streets proved difficult. Occasionally, a squad of troops would come hurrying along the way, shouting for water to put out fires or carrying the wounded to infirmaries.

"Where are all the townsfolk?" Al asked as he surveyed the desolation, despairing grief in his voice.

"Many fled north to Tandem after Shiver crushed the southern army three weeks ago," Bernard kept his eyes straight ahead as he answered, no longer moved by sights he too often saw in his lifetime "A handful stayed. Of that number, almost all are surely dead. The garrison here lost over two thirds of its strength. Most of the men still alive are badly wounded."

The brothers felt engulfed by the loss around them. They saw smoking ash, smelled drying blood, heard the cries of the dying carried on the winds that sorrowfully whispered over the rooftops. The siege of Madrigal was won. But the victory preserved only a little of a once bustling city.

"We're here lads."

The Elrics looked up at the first fully intact structure of the day. The imposing edifice rose from a hill, granting it a commanding view of the entire city. A crenellated wall made of humongous rocks enclosed a small space at the crest of the hill, and within stood broad stone building capped by high tower. Ed craned his neck to see a weathered but proud orange pennant fluttering from the tower's flagpole.

"The Keep Armadur. Madrigal's stronghold," pride flowed into Bernard's voice, "Legends say that a Trow expedition put up these walls millennia ago. Now it serves a last bastion for the town. On the second night of the siege, the Fallen broke through the outer walls. Rabican fell back here and regrouped, finally pushing Shiver out of the city by the fourth day. After he did that, the commanders began to dream that we could take Shiver by surprise. By the time the order came down from the rest of the Nine, a lot of the men felt ready to take a crack at Shiver's army. Of course, no one dreamed we could achieve so great a success."

"How great was the victory?" Al asked.

"I'd hesitate to call it a victory. I can scarcely believe Shiver's dead. And our forces could not complete the pursuit of her troops. The scouts say that some of the shades in her service still walk, and they are rallying their remaining forces in the wilderness between here and Comfort. I expect there's several more days fighting ahead.

But the enemy has certainly lost the better part of their host. And without a Fallen Lord to lead them, I doubt they'll attempt another offensive. We have the edge. If we can surround them, cut them off, I daresay we can claim a total victory.

Now I have a great deal to attend to back in camp. The two of you better get inside."

Bernard motioned to the stone steps leading up to the Armadur's massive wooden gate. The doors hung open, each almost a yard in width. A pair of warriors stood on guard in the threshold.

"Alright then, we won't keep you," Ed trudged off for the stairs. He did not so much as glance at Bernard.

"Thanks. Maybe we'll see you later," Al gave a friendly nod to Bernard before following his brother.

Bernard watched as the Elrics climbed into the fortress. He wondered at the sight for a moment, curious about the intent of the Nine and about the true nature of the strange brothers. Then he turned on his heel, and started back through the ruins. He began a long, solemn trek back to camp.

0000000000000000000

After a few minutes wait, a soldier led Ed and Al deep into the Keep Armadur. They climbed a narrow spiral staircase and wound through a couple dark hallways before their guide brought them to a door guarded by two men. Both men dressed in a style similar to Truan, and also carried formidable broadswords.

"Highlander, are the generals waiting?" the guide spoke to one of the guards, who nodded in response.

The guide knocked the door.

"Enter!" a voice bellowed from within.

"I can go no further," the guide stepped to the side and ushered the Elrics forward.

The door shut behind the brothers as they entered the chamber.

Though it lay at the heart of the fortress, the chamber was well lit. Torches and candles lined the walls. A decent fire blazed in the hearth at the middle of the room, and smoke rose out through a skylight.

The room contained three long tables arranged around the hearth, along with numerous chairs. Large maps, thick books, stacks of parchment, yellowish quills, and military figurines cluttered the table surfaces. The Elrics also noticed a few abandoned goblets and plates of food. On one table they saw a crystal ball and several small stones carved with runes. Discarded parchments and bones from past meals covered the floor. A pair of dogs gnawed at the larger scraps.

Four figures sat at the furthest table, on the opposite side of the hearth. The figure to the middle raised a hand and motioned the Elrics forward.

"Come."

Ed took the first step, listening as his brother clanked along behind. He carefully took in the features of the men before him.

The figure who spoke looked of middle age. He possessed a mature, noble face with a clean shave. His countenance seemed molded more by character and experience than by just the passage of years. His dark brown eyes at first glance suggested a sense of gentleness and warmth, but behind that initial impression Ed sensed a carefully hidden power and deep determination. The man hid his hair beneath a leather cowl, which rose into a tall point bending slightly backwards. He wore leather armor underneath a long robe of matching color, and sat perfectly upright in a splendidly carved wooden throne. In Ed's estimation, the man seemed a consummate leader, perhaps even a king.

The leader was flanked by two others. To his left, a severe looking ancient leaned on a gnarled staff. This man appeared about average in height and as wizened as a raisin, though he too possessed no hint of a beard. His hooked nose sat squarely between a pair of deeply set gray eyes with a gaze as sharp as any blade. He covered his bald head with a dark metal skull cap that almost pinched his temples. The ancient man wore a heavy blue robe decorated with golden suns. Ed supposed the ancient one an advisor of sorts, someone with considerable insight and wisdom.

To the right of the leader, another man squatted on a stool. This man appeared quite tall and broad in the shoulders, though slight in overall build. Ed could tell little about this man's face, which was concealed with a mask. The mask was a masterpiece of craftsmanship; a smooth male face cast in silver, ornately carved with symbols that Ed almost mistook for transmutation circles. On closer inspection, he realized the symbols bore a closer resemblance to the strange tattoos on Truan's body. The masked man wore a sky blue cloak edged with silver upon his shoulders, and kept the hood over his brow. Bandages scribbled with runes covered his entire body, including his hands. On the table before him lay a beautiful long-sword, carved in symbols similar to those upon the mask. That a man marked by little muscle and countless injuries could wield such a weapon puzzled Ed. He could not guess at the role of the enigmatic masked man.

Behind and to the right of the leader, a fourth man leaned against the throne. Ed quickly realized this man could easily wear Al's armor. The man clothed his huge, strapping frame in only a wolf-skin cape and loincloth, plus a pair of sharply studded wrist-guards. A string of animal teeth hung prominently from his neck. The huge man covered his head with a heavy metal helm which hid even his eyes. From his belt hung a thick broadsword he could comfortably wield with one hand. The formidable weapon would look like only a large kitchen knife in his immense fist. The man's obvious martial prowess impressed Ed immediately, and reminded him of his friend Major Armstrong, the immensely proportioned Iron-fist Alchemist.

The four men studied the brothers for a moment. Then the ancient one spoke in creaky voice.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric, welcome. We know of your deeds and thank you for your service. Many men owe their lives to you. We hear that you matched one of our best fighters in combat. And, most impressive, you each have a little magic in you."

"Only you displayed your abilities, so you wonder how we know about your brother?" the masked man anticipated Ed's concern, speaking in a younger but rasping voice that sounded obscured by something, perhaps more bandages, "We four possess senses and powers beyond the reckoning of mere mortals. We know you are more than just boys."

"Show us," insisted the huge man, his voice clearly the deep bellow that earlier beckoned brothers into the chamber.

Al stooped and hesitantly removed his helmet, revealing the empty dark space within the metal shell housing his soul. Ed rolled back his sleeves and pants to reveal his prosthetic limbs.

"Fascinating," the leader spoke this time, his voice both warm and yet imposing, just like his eyes, "a spirit bound to an inanimate object, capable of motion and speech like any man. And arms and legs crafted out of metal. How did you do it?"

"You don't want to know," Al gravely responded.

The leader waved his hand in approval. As Al replaced his helmet and Ed smoothed his clothes, the leader addressed both brothers.

"You each have nothing to fear from us. We hold many questions for you, but I am certain you hold questions of your own. Let me begin by answering some of yours."

He rose from his throne. While leader was not as tall as the huge man or the masked man, he carried himself in a way that inspired respect.

"I am Alric. King of the Province. Leader of the Nine Avatara, the only wizards still left on the side of light. I assumed my throne in the midst of the conflict with the Fallen. In my time as king I've known only war, never peace. My order and I wage an eternal struggle with Balor and his minions, hoping to safeguard the people until we can one day drive darkness from the realm."

He gestured to the men about his throne.

"These here are some of my councilors and generals, members of the Nine."

"I am Cathbad," croaked the ancient one, "Advisor to King Alric and librarian. My place is usually behind the lines, my boys, but do not doubt the power of my magic."

The deep set gray eyes flickered at the last statement.

"I am Kael," the masked man spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper, "Chief druid to the ancient highland gods. Although it has been a month since I last rode into battle, my claymore has drunk many blood offerings to the gods in times past."

He caressed the long-sword with his tightly bandaged hand.

"And I…," the huge man paused a moment as he straightened from leaning on the throne, "…am Rabican, general of the Northern Army."

"As you may already know, last night Rabican led our forces upon the plains of Madgrial and swept back the Fallen, vanquishing Shiver the Voiceless One in single combat. The rest of our order is away" Alric added, "Campaigning or pursuing missions in distant places. Yet we remain in regular contact."

A pair of owls fluttered down from the skylight and perched upon Cathbad's shoulder. He caressed each before removing small rolls of parchment from their talons.

"Thank you," he breathed into the ears of the birds before sending them back up through the skylight. He unfurled the parchments and read silently for a few moments.

As Cathbad processed the reports, Rabican moved to a map of the Province on the nearby table and began shifting miniatures around, updating the latest troop positions.

"Very good tidings here, listen. Maeldun's reassembled the 21st legion and combined the remnants of the 3rd and 17th. He's secured Shoal and is preparing to reoccupy Bagrada!"

"Excellent!" Alric thumped his fist upon the table, "If we can retake the other passes over the Cloudspine, we can stop up the enemy's reinforcements. And with Shiver gone, we can concentrate on isolating the Watcher."

"Unfortunately, our scouts haven't reported anything on the Watcher. It seems the Mad Goat has slipped away once again."

Alric stroked his beard and joined Rabican. Cathbad bent over a journal and began scribbling notes. Kael slowly rose and moved across the room, his bandages restricting him to a shuffle. He hunched over the rune stones and began muttering unintelligibly.

For a time the men seemed to forget the Elric brothers. The boys puzzled over the scene until Cathbad looked up from his writing.

"Sorry boys, but we've been eagerly awaiting word from the field. These things take precedence."

Alric and Rabican went on placing miniatures about the map, attempting to devise an effective strategy. Each plan they tried seemed inadequate after further examination, which led to whispering and then rearrangements.

Kael continued to mutter strange words as he ran his hands over the runes in slow, deliberate motions. Ed could only assume that the druid was entering a trance in order to consult a deity for guidance. He almost snorted at the thought.

Ed acknowledged that he could never truly know god. Sometimes he even doubted the existence god, never certain whether the laws he accepted as an alchemist stemmed from some intelligent design or just a coincidence of nature. But if it did exist, god was at best indifferent and at worst cruel. He shuddered at the memory of the thing that greeted him so many years ago at the entrance to the Gate, grinning while it tortured him and his brother. It did not care that the boys made their mistake out of grief and ignorance. It took account of neither the sorrow the boys felt at the loss of their mother, nor the enormous burden of the curse it placed upon them. If god could not empathize, why should people ever worship?

"The gods do not speak. The signs…I see only chaos," Kael sighed with lament.

Rabican slammed his fist onto his table, crushing a miniature army in the act. No stratagem seemed to work in their favor.

Alric paced away from the table, hands folded in thought. His brow furrowed as he came to a grim realization.

"We cannot prevail without guidance once again. Bring … _it_."

Rabican swept out through the door to the chamber. A few moments later he returned with two armored warriors bearing a small but apparently heavy chest. Made of thick dark oak, reinforced with iron and several hefty locks, the chest looked impregnable. The warriors heaved the chest onto the table, and proceeded to undo the locks with keys kept on their person. At the final lock, Alric stepped forward and muttered an incantation. Suddenly, the lid sprang open.

The Elrics watched as Alric reached into the chest, and could barely contain their astonishment as the wizard pulled out the contents.

A severed head.

The thing looked well preserved, with no scars or decay of any kind upon its olive skin. Alric grasped the head by its long black hair, which fell in thick curls from the brow. It had a handsome face, and with its eyes closed almost appeared asleep.

Until the eyes shot open. And it spoke.

"Greetings Alric. Such a pleasure to see you again."

The young alchemists quivered in horror.

"Time certainly has flown since we last met," the thing spoke smoothly, in an unsettlingly haughty tone. Its mouth hissed a little as it spoke, for the air rushed out quickly through its dismembered throat.

"Indeed. Your counsel proved most useful to us. You have our thanks," Alric raised the head to eye level and nodded in gratitude. He gave respectful homage, yet his voice contained a hint of revulsion.

"It is done, then?"

"Rabican saw to it. He followed your instructions precisely."

"Excellent," the head gave a smug grin, "You did me a service by slaying Shiver, as she is called in these times. It is I who am in your debt. How may I assist you now?"

"Our forces pushed back the remnants of Shiver's army the past night. They are far from defeated, but significantly diminished. I cannot hold confidence in our victory until…"

"You think the Watcher will pounce upon you from the wilderness? No need to fear him now, the Mad Goat is indifferent to Shiver. He'd only aid her if Balor ordered him directly.

No, the Watcher is searching for something now."

"What does he seek?"

"My intuition tells me, and you may never doubt my intuition, that he's looking for an ancient tome of power. A great treasure. The Total Codex."

_That book again_, Ed thought, _Why is it so important?_

"I know of the Total Codex," replied Alric, "Do you say the Watcher seeks it here? Apparently Balor was much less than thorough when he razed Muirthemne."

"Balor wields power you cannot know Alric, but his sight is limited. And with so many mindless slaves as minions, it's almost certain that a few stones go unturned."

"And I suppose your sight can tell us where to search for the Total Codex?"

"Alas, I cannot discern its location. But you have many other means by which to find it, I am sure."

The head's eyes flicked about the room, and its gaze fell upon the Elrics. They steeled themselves and met it with stern determination.

"Fresh recruits to your little order, Alric? You've gone from the Nine to the Eleven?"

"For someone without a neck, you sure enjoy sticking your head in other people's business," Ed snapped.

The head leered down at him. The hissing became more pronounced, like a snake rising to attack.

"I would watch your comments about other peoples' appearances, whelp. You and your brother barely have one body between the two of you."

_What is this thing?_ Ed could barely contain his disgust. The head unnerved him. He felt Al's gauntlet touch his shoulder reassuringly; better to not offend the strange creature a second time. Alric did not seem to like the head, but he respected it on some level.

"The Elric Brothers," Alric introduced them, "Newly arrived yes, and while not yet members of the order, they are indeed capable youth."

"All well and good Alric," the head resumed its smug tone, "You need every man you can get now. Were it not for me, your army would have its back to the sea. I suggest you continue to heed my counsel and begin searching for the Codex. Do not call on me again until you find it, there are things I must attend to now."

With that, the head shut its eyes and said no more. Alric lowered it into the chest. He nodded for the guards to replace the locks and carry the container away. Then he turned to the Elrics.

"The Head. A weird and twisted ally indeed, but the knowledge it possesses saves the lives of my men time and time again. It knows many secrets of the Fallen Lords."

"What makes you think you can trust that thing?" Ed grimaced.

"Its intelligence never fails us," Cathbad answered, "We found the head before Shiver and the Watcher arrived in the Province. Our order had sent several reconnaisance units over the Cloudspine several months ago. We wanted to see what the enemy were up to, and if we might recover anything of value from the ruins of Muirthemne.

Truan of the Hundred Battles, I believe you've met him already, got word that Soulblighter's forces were scouring the ruins in search of a lost artifact. After some careful tracking and one can only imagine how much swordplay, he recovered the Head from the ruins."

"But what is it? Didn't it used to have a body?" Al inquired, more respectfully than his brother.

"We don't know anything beyond what the Head has told us; that it once was an advisor to Connacht and an enemy of Balor. Regardless, the Head has helped us win a great victory. And despite the fact that we keep it under lock and key, rumors spread through the camps faster than you can imagine. Many of the men know about it, they feel a profound sense of gratitude towards it. Some feel that they owe the Head their lives."

"The men follow anything that gives them hope," Kael added, "We've failed them, the gods have failed them, they've failed themselves. But the Head has brought a change to everything. Strange and unnatural it may be, but heeding its counsel helps our cause."

Cathbad and Rabican nodded in assent. Alric merely stroked his chin in thought.

"We must be certain of that counsel though. Rabican, summon Truan and gather the fastest runners and riders. We must blanket the Province with our scouts and locate the Watcher.

Kael, Cathbad, scour through what books we have left. Go back through the chronicle of the destruction of Muirthemne, and the records left by legionary officers who survived the flight westward. Look for any references about artifacts of power, anything that might have been swept into the Province with the tide of refugees. Inquiring with the chiefs of the Journeymen may prove useful as well."

Alric thoughtfully looked over Ed and Al.

"You two may yet prove useful. You possess magic beyond your years. You saved a troop of my men. My guess is you may be able to do it again. The men already welcome you, and we need any source of morale we can muster."

Alric picked up a quill, continuing to speak as he scribbled something onto a dispatch.

"Edward, Alphonse, these are your first orders. I am reassigning you to Captain Bernard. He may not like it, but he can work with you. Train you. Teach you. Your first lessons will occur as you assist the 13th legion with clearing the woods of Shiver's remaining forces. Stay focused, follow the Captain's orders."

He stamped the paper shut with wax. He handed it to the brothers, his eyes smoldering with a deeply hidden power.

"Good hunting."


	4. Chapter 4

(*Authors Note: journal entries will now precede many of the following chapters. These journal entries are not my creation and are the property of Bungie. I have taken the text from the following website:

Myth at Bungie dot org

I have adjusted the contents of the journals to match my narrative. I do not make any money from writing this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.)

* * *

_Monday September 15, Outskirts of Tyr_

_The battle for Madrigal lasted four days without pause. Shiver fell on the first night in a spectacular dream duel with Rabican, one of the Nine. No one expected this. We have never before challenged one of The Fallen and won._

_But the truth behind the victory is stranger than any of the rumors. Apparently The Nine found the severed head of one of Balor's enemies from the old days, buried out in the desert under several tons of sand and rock, and managed to start talking to the thing. Balor is the power behind The Fallen Lords, and we figure his enemy is our friend._

_They say that The Head had an old score to settle with Shiver, and told Rabican that her one weakness was vanity, and showed him how to exploit it._

_The days after Shiver's demise still proved a challenge. One of her Shades, an undead wizard who once went by the name of Skelnir, managed to rally a substantial party of thrall and soulless in woods near Madrigal. Despite our best efforts, it seemed that Skelnir would slip away into the wilderness with his army. My companions and I were not looking forward to dealing with months of grueling guerilla warfare with the Shade's minions._

_But it seems the forces of light are making many new friends as of late. During my last mission at Comfort, I made the acquaintance of two young wizards, or alchemists as they call themselves, by the names of Edward and Alphonse Elric. Bernard, my senior officer, does not seem too fond of them, but out of gratitude for the aid they gave us in escaping Shiver's rearguard he introduced them to the Nine. Something about them impressed Alric, who ordered the Elrics to assist us in the battle with Skelnir. The boys certainly did their part._

_The young alchemists quickly discerned the Shade's innate weakness to water, despite never facing such a powerful undead in combat. They then lured Skelnir into a battleground of their choosing, which just happened lie over an underground stream. In a feat of magic that would certainly impress any accomplished wizard, the Elrics raised the stream into a massive geyser that sent Skelnir into oblivion. We made quick work of his leaderless horde. _

_Soon afterwards, the Head, which appears to know something about everything, got us looking for an artifact called the Total Codex. It has finally been located in the ruined city of Covenant, but the first group sent to retrieve it has not returned._

_Which brings me to the present moment. I am writing this entry from my lodgings outside of Tyr, a city recently recovered by our forces since the collapse of Shiver's army. At Tyr, the dwarves discovered an old World Knot, a magical artifact capable of transporting men over vast distances. Captain Bernard received orders for our unit to report here, with the Elrics, two days ago. And in a few minutes Rabican himself is going to send a few of us through the World Knot to Covenant, to bring back the Codex._

* * *

While waiting for Rabican's arrival in Tyr's central square, Bernard took a quick look about to make sure everyone looked sharp. His recent promotion to major expanded his command from one company to two. The upcoming mission through the world knot would mark his first experience leading such a large force. All the soldiers stood at attention, waiting to march into the nearby World Knot. The officers, from both the 26th and the 27th companies, stood around their new commander.

Bernard liked the 27th, and he liked their officers even more. The men looked more used to frontline combat duty than the special work typically carried out by the 26th, but one could never have too many strong sword arms. ii'Shuul, who also received a promotion to specialist captain, seemed pleased with his many new archers. He whispered to Bernard that one fir'Bolg named ki'Angsi boasted a very sharp eye. As for the dwarves, large groups of their kind tended to make Bernard a bit nervous, but he could count on the leadership of Oleg. His experience and daring commanded such respect that he could even keep a rabble-rouser like Nori in line. Just about everything seemed perfectly adjusted for the task ahead.

Except he could not see the Elrics anywhere.

"Where are the alchemists?" Bernard grunted.

"Here they come now, sir."

Bernard could see Al's head and shoulders weaving through the ranks of warriors. A moment later, both brothers emerged from the formation and jogged over to the officers.

"You are late, Fullmetal."

"Apologies, Cap-"

"Major!" corrected Bernard.

"Of course. My apologies, Major," Edward stretched and yawned, then folded his arms in wait.

Bernard held back from berating the youth any further. He owed his advancement in part to the Elric brothers. Over the past month, they proved a powerful augment to his unit. It helped that the rank and file loved the lads.

Success came as Bernard built his relationship with the brothers, learning tendencies and personalities. He could manage the elder one with patience and a firm hand. He addressed the boy by his title, and occasionally allowed Edward to give his own input to strategy. In fact, Bernard discovered that Edward possessed considerable military aptitude.

The younger brother was another matter. Alphonse required little behavior management compared to Edward, and proved equally bright and arguably more adept in hand-to-hand combat. Yet despite his strong military aptitude, Alphonse did not appear completely engaged with the world. At times he even seemed distant from reality. Bernard had yet to determine the cause of this apathy, but Edward seemed acutely aware of his brother's lapses in focus, even worried about it. The elder brother often pulled the younger back to earth before Bernard could even react. But this time, Bernard caught Alphonse glancing about the city square first.

"Alchemist! Attention!"

* * *

Al did not hear the Major call. He felt too drawn by the curious architecture of Tyr's central district. The buildings all displayed martial symbols, with carvings of weaponry everywhere. He watched as a crow landed on a roof with shingles shaped like spearheads.

Someone tapped his breastplate.

"Hey Al, pay attention, would you?" his brother whispered.

"Huh? Oh right. When's Rabican getting here?"

"Right now, apparently."

Al watched as the general, big enough to look him in the eye, strode into the city square with his honor guard. A quick fanfare sounded and the assembled troops saluted. Rabican waved back. As he gave a brief speech, his deep voice rang against his great helm.

"Soldiers! You are here today because I believe you are the best. You come from the best army. The best legion. I am told few companies can equal your impressive records. But no unit has ever undertaken a mission like this one. Using the World Knot, I shall transport you behind enemy lines to Covenant, where our first unit sent in search of the Codex went missing. Our scouts report that the Watcher may be in the area. You men are our last chance to secure the Codex and save our lost troops. Failure is not an option, but your success I doubt not. Godspeed, soldiers of the 26th and 27th. Remember Madigral! Let us have victory again. And may we one day draw the lifeblood of the Fallen Lords, and live in peace forever!"

Rabican drew his broadsword and held it to the sky, invoking the moment of his great victory at Madrigal. Immediately the warriors drew their swords and cheered loudly, as did the archers and dwarves. Only the Elrics retained a steeled composure, holding the metal of their arms and the mettle of their souls ready for the challenge ahead. That challenge grew more evident as Rabican spoke his instructions to the officers.

"The first unit we sent in traveled over the roads by cart, before we recovered the World Knot. At that time, our spies told us the region was clear of the Watcher's forces, but it seems now that the Fallen Lord is entering the country around Covenant. While there is little reason to believe that he is within the city, it is likely that our troops there are completely surrounded. Therefore, the World Knot makes for much safer transport."

"I will send you through the Knot in three waves: the warriors first with the officers, then the archers, finally the dwarves with the alchemists. Secure the immediate area, then search the city. You likely will find our men with the Codex. Its last known location was the Great Library. Once you find it, and our men, make back for the World Knot. I will know when you are ready to return here. Questions?"

Before anyone else could speak, Edward stepped forward.

"Why haven't you taken into account that the Dark may know how to use the World Knots? Your plan could expose the heart of our operations to the enemy."

Most of the officers gasped. Bernard just held his face in his hand. Edward's blunt approach to disagreements did not surprise him anymore, but his audacity in face of senior commanders remained a source of embarrassment.

"Mind your tongue next time Fullmetal, but that's a question that deserves an answer," Rabican responded, unfazed, "The Dark do not know how to use the World Knots. None remain in the country east of the Cloudspine, and only a Fallen Lord could even begin to understand the intricacies of the devices. Besides, they had Tyr's Knot in their possession for weeks, and never used it, so reason leads us to believe that they never understood the function. Any further questions?"

No one spoke.

"Then to your stations, and assemble the men as instructed. Notify me when you are ready to begin."

As the officers made their way to their assignments, Rabican pulled Edward and Alphonse aside.

"You two alchemists did the light much good service over the past month. Alric has much faith in you. But I know you are still young, inexperienced. Keep your guard up, as this will be your most difficult mission to date. You've never operated this close to a Fallen Lord before. Be prepared for anything."

With that, Rabican turned on his heel and proceeded to the World Knot. He began reciting incantations aloud, summoning the energies needed to activate the artifact.

As the Elrics stood with the dwarves and watched the first waves of troops pass through the World Knot, the brothers took in the display of magical power. Given a rare free moment, the boys did their best to learn as much as possible about the forces governing the world they stumbled into only a month ago. Edward often listened and watched the Nine as they completed rituals and spells. Alphonse directed his attention to magical objects and attempted to discern the details of their function. This suited him, as he increasingly found the behavior of people besides his brother overly puzzling.

He avoided telling Edward about his innermost feelings, for fear of causing his brother too much worry. Al knew that Ed blamed himself for everything that befell them both. He did not want his brother blaming himself anymore, even as Al felt his personal sense of humanity beginning to crumble.

Objects seemed a bit easier to decipher than people lately. As Al observed the World Knot, he felt a curious sense of communion with the artifact. The Knot functioned like a circuit, completing itself after someone imbued it with the strange magical energy that permeated this world. Like him, the Knot was an aberration. The only difference between them lay in their purpose. The Knot bent space. Al defined his existence as a bending of death, but he knew not his purpose beyond defending and loving his brother. Occasionally, on lonely nights as his brother slept, Al fell into questioning the purpose of love.

He shook off his downhearted thoughts. Al looked at his brother, and at the dwarves around them. Nori, the brothers' most steadfast companion over the past month of fighting, stood nearby. Al reminded himself that he still had friends, both here and far away at home. If only he could remember all their faces.

Quickly he tried to turn his attention to something else. He searched for the crow from earlier. Remarkably, it never moved. It sat perfectly still on the same rooftop, almost watching the troops depart from Tyr.

Eventually, the warriors and archers all finished going through, and Elric made their way to the Knot with the dwarves.

As they stood in the middle of the circle formed by the Knot's obsidian pylons, Ed layed his hand on his brother's arm.

"We've been through more fighting than I ever expected either of us to see, Al. I'm sorry that I've put you through this."

"Nothing to it, brother," Al felt inclined to grin; if only he could "We've been through a lot, some things probably worse than this. I already told you that I am not going anywhere."

"Just thought of reminding you; neither am I."

"You two always gonna get this cutesy before a mission? Remind me to clog me ears with straw," Nori quipped.

"Look whose talking? In our world, little girls would play with toys like you, have you for tea, and dress you up in petticoats!" Ed fired back.

"Arrr, Edward, mind your tongue, or I might forget to tell you where I put me last satchel charge," Nori winked.

"Blowing up my brother's not easy. A lot of people already tried," Al joined in.

"Well, they didn't have a good dwarven head on their shoulders now did they? Now look sharp we're about to go through!"

Rabican extended his hands to the sky, and Ed heard a sound like a gust of wind. The world faded to white for a moment, and then the outlines of different buildings began to come into vision. Ed began to hear muffled sounds of clamor too. Something did not feel right.

"Get clear of the knot!"

Someone shouted, then came a whistling in the air, and Ed's emergency instincts took over. He sprang to his left and rolled towards the edge of the Knot, barking orders.

"Scatter!"

The dwarves turned and ran with Al as the world finished coming into focus.

A javelin struck the ground where Ed had stood only a moment earlier. The ground of the Knot bristled with the black barbs of the soulless. Here and there, warriors and archers lay pinned to the earth. A few struggled to rise. Most no longer moved.

Ed looked about and saw only more chaos. The area around the World Knot crawled with enemies. Groups of soulless floated on heaps of rubble, hurling their poisoned barbs. They threw their shots with deadly accuracy, striking low many of Bernard's soldiers. In complete disarray, the troops could barely defend themselves from the thrall cutting into their ranks on the ground. Suddenly a pack of ghols swept into the fray. They cut the hamstrings of archers and hurled themselves onto the backs of warriors. One ghol brought his cleaver down with violent ferocity on someone's helmet.

The sight of the blow spurned Ed back into action. He made for the nearest pile of rubble while shouting to his brother.

"Get things cleaned up down here Al! I'll take the high ground!"

"Gotcha Ed!"

While the dwarves rushed to intercept the next approaching mob of thrall, Al waded into the melee. He began to grab every ghol in sight. Two by two he hurled them as far as he could.

Ed reached the top of the heap. He clapped his hands and pressed his hands down. Huge stone spikes punched skyward and took out a cluster of soulless.

"Four down, many to go," Ed huffed as he leapt across the tops of the rubble.

Al found Major Bernard embattled by trio of the snarling fiends.

"Major, are you alright?" Al snatched up two of the ghols and cracked their heads together.

"Unhurt," Bernard barked as he cut down the last ghol, "but fed up with this!"

He grabbed his horn and sounded a call.

"Ring formation!" he bellowed "Archers to the center! Form up now!"

A salvo of grenade blasts went off. The dwarves, having neutralized the approaching thrall reinforcements, appeared atop the rubble heaps as Ed cleared out the remaining soulless. The tiny grenadiers began hurling their explosives into the rear ranks of the remaining undead, while their comrades moved into formation. Al guarded Bernard at the center of the ring of troops as the Major kept giving orders.

"Warriors, shield wall! Archers, flame barrage now!"

"Ignite arrows! Ready! Fire!" ii'Shuul shouted.

The blazing bodkins arched over the heads of the defending warriors and into the thrall, setting the walking corpses alight. Many stumbled and crumbled into ashes. The rest met the steadfast shield-wall and were cut to pieces.

None of the enemy remained, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief the ground at the edge of the World Knot stirred.

"Fall back!" Bernard shouted. The warriors tightened their shield wall. Keeping the archers behind, they all carefully backed away from the ancient stones.

A dozen wights raised themselves up from the earth, and began to shamble towards the World Knot.

"What are they doin?" Nori whispered to Ed.

Within a moment they began to cling to one of the pylons, and the dwarf realized their intent.

"No! Keep them away! Don't let 'em—"

Too late. With a hideous belch, the last wight plunged a dagger into its swollen belly and set off a chain reaction. The creatures exploded in a burst of pus and noxious gas, obliterating the pylon. The warriors just managed to catch the castoff of poisonous slime on their shields.

Ed and the dwarves clambered down from the heights to help their comrades. The battle's aftermath was nothing less than devastating. Any of the men lying wounded outside the safety of the shield wall quickly expired from exposure to the wight blast. There was nothing anyone could do for them.

Ed came across Bernard leaning on his sword, his face pale with anguish. Al loomed by his side.

"'Major, what happened here?" Ed did his best to stifle his own grief. He had never seen so many men die before in his life.

"Ambush. Like they were waiting for us." Bernard slowly shook his head.

"Waiting for us? Waiting for us!?"

Ed kicked dust over a fallen thrall.

"You mean to tell me that they knew we were coming!? How could Rabican have let his happen!?"

"Its quite simple, brother," Al coldly surveyed the battleground, "The Watcher either masked his movements from our scouts, our fed us false information. We stumbled into his trap, and this is the price that we pay."

Al looked at his brother and for a second saw a flash of dismay in Ed's eyes.

"I'm so sorry brother. These men, they didn't deserve to die."

"I know Al. I just cannot believe that the Nine left us this high and dry," Ed leaned wearily against his brother's side. Al sensed his big brother's heartbeat reverberating through his armor. Something in his soul told him his brother's heart ached for a reason besides the lost soldiers.

"Get used to the Nine failing us," Bernard spat and some color returned to his face, "Happens all the time. This cursed war is too much even for them. If there's anything that can lead us through these horrors, it's the Head."

The brothers tensed at the mention of the thing, but said not a word.

Gerrard, the newly made captain of the 26th, approached and gave a report.

"The only good new I have sir is that anyone who is alive is able-bodied and fit to fight. The bad news...the 27th is nearly gone, save for some archers, a handful of warriors, and their dwarves. The 26th is better off, though not much so. We're at a little less than half strength. The only explanation I can offer is that the 27th went in first, like they usually do. So many causalities, not a single wounded man we can carry to help. And the dwarves looked at the World Knot. There's no repairing it, sir. We can't get back to Tyr."

Bernard hung his head for a few moments, then raised it with fire back in his eyes.

"Fine, we aren't going back to Tyr. We'll head to the Eastern headquarters at Bagrada when all's said and done. For now, continue with the mission. Combine the remnants of the companies; tell the men we're going to the Great Library. I want two battle-groups. Have each group move up parallel streets by squad, three archers and a dwarf with each squad. Leap-frog advance. If we spread out and stagger our progress it should keep us from getting surprised again. You and the other officers make it happen. I'll talk to our advance scouts."

Gerrard hurried off and Bernard lifted his sword out of the sand. He wiped the blood and dirt off with his thumb and forefinger before sliding the blade into its scabbard. Routines helped him move past the pain. Staying focused would keep his men alive.

He took the Elrics aside.

"I don't have any archers to spare for scout duty, so I'm appointing you two. The Total Codex is supposedly in the Great Library, about a quarter mile to the south-east."

He pointed towards a partially intact amphitheatre.

"I need you both to get through that structure, and continue down the road to the library. Move quickly, we may have men trapped down there, and considering what just hit us, gods know what they are taking on. If you run into something big, do your best to get back to us for support. Otherwise, knock the enemy out of your way and keep moving. Don't stop until you get to the library."

"Sounds more like the cavalry than scout duty," Ed's smirk began to return.

"Maybe it is. I just hope we can get that tome and save some lives in the process. The Watcher isn't giving us much time. You lads understand what's expected of you?"

They nodded.

"Alright, get going. Remember we're right behind you."

* * *

The brothers ran in silence through the city streets. Occasionally a solitary ghoul would cross their path, but the Elrics would just sweep it aside without breaking stride. They made for the Great Library with all haste.

Edward thought mostly about all the poor men inside, and the accursed book that cost so many lives to retrieve. But his thoughts also drifted to his little brother. Al's logic about the battle did not bother him, but the expression of that logic sent a chill down his spine. In that moment for Edward, Al just sounded too cold and distant to be himself. The regret over the fallen men came only as an afterthought, a response to the dismay Ed let pass through his eyes.

He worried about his brother these days more than usual. Al was drifting away slowly. The ebb was not dramatic, but pronounced enough for someone as close as Ed to notice. It terrified Ed that he knew neither the cause nor the cure for his brother's worsening condition. He could only push his worries down and hope that everything would turn out alright in the end.

As the brothers rushed on towards the Great Library, the clamor of battle greeted them.

"We need to get our bearings," Ed could barely keep from wheezing after the long sprint.

They turned into a nearby building and scurried up the steps to the roof. They vaulted over the alleyways towards the sounds of combat.

They reached the last building at the end of the street and looked down into the plaza below. Piles of dead littered the cobblestones in the shadow of the Great Library, an imposing stone edifice complete with columns and gargoyles.

"Look there," Al pointed as the double doors of the Great Library cracked open.

A dwarf trundled out and looked about. He waved and a handful of warriors cautiously emerged from the dark interior. In their midst strode a thickset man with long black hair. He wore no armor, only a heavy fur coat with bronze plates hung across his front and back. In one hand he carried a shovel. In the other, he clutched a heavy looking book.

"He's carrying the Total Codex for sure brother."

A bloodcurdling yell broke the quiet of the ruined city as a pack of ghols came out of no where and charged the tiny troop of men at the base of the library steps.

"Better get down there Al. Those ghols won't be alone. Let's help our new friends carry that book."

The boys leapt down from the roof and ran to assist the embattled warriors. Hours more of hard fighting followed, even after Bernard's troops made it to the Great Library. Even so, everyone fought with a new tenacity, driven by revenge. The mindless thrall seemed hesitant to engage the troops boldly defending the plaza, which steadily filled with piles of broken corpses. As the sun began to set and the tides of foes slackened to a halt, the remnants of the 26th company briefly hung their heads in reverence for fallen comrades.

Edward and Alphonse joined in the display. Edward felt his heart mourn the losses, and realized that the soldiers around him were as dear to him as his companions back in Central. He briefly wondered if his brother still shared his feelings. Then, so that both he and his brother might survive the next fight, Edward once again pushed away his doubts as Bernard ordered the unit to begin the long retreat out of Covenant.


End file.
